Father from Bradford appears in court charged with terrorism offences

A father from Bradford has appeared in court charged with terrorism offences.

Mohammad Owais Sabir, 25, from Bradford in West Yorkshire, spoke only to confirm his name and address via videolink at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

He has been charged with nine offences under the Terrorism Act 2000 including entering funding arrangements, fundraising and possession of articles for terrorist purposes.

Prosecution lawyer Warren Stanier told the court Sabir was arrested on September 29 2021 and again on February 22 this year after police looked into his financial transactions.

Shannon Revel, defending, said Sabir is the son of “elderly parents who are first generation immigrants from Pakistan” and that his father works in a takeaway.

She added that Sabir has a wife and a daughter and has recently “been in education to become a Muslim community leader”.

District Judge Richard Griffiths sent Sabir’s case to be tried by a jury at the Old Bailey later this month due to the seriousness of the alleged offences.

Judge Griffiths said: “These matters are too serious to be dealt with in this court, and your case will be dealt with at the Central Criminal Court.

“In the event of conviction, a lengthy period of imprisonment seems to be inevitable.”

Sabir, of Mansfield Road in Manningham, was remanded in custody until his next hearing at the Old Bailey on March 14.