Accused terrorist was nicked getting on holiday flight

A terror suspect accused of sharing graphic images of beheadings and extremist material calling for the killing of Westerners will face trial next year.

Ismail Kissa, 23, was arrested at Stansted Airport on 29 March when he was about to travel on a family holiday to Italy.

Appearing at the Old Bailey, Kissa wore a black jumper with the word ‘Overlord’ printed along both sleeves.

He remained expressionless throughout the hearing.

Previously, prosecutor Kathryn Selby said: ‘The defendant has been charged with 13 offences contrary to section two of the Terrorism Act [2000] and one offence contrary to section 58.

‘The 58 material relates to instructions on how to make a Molotov cocktail.

‘In relation to the section two offences these relate to disseminations that have happened both on a one to one basis in a chat group and also with his 14-year-old brother.’

Officers allegedly recovered videos on Kissa’s phone with captions: ‘What are you doing for your brother?’ and ‘If you were able to kill an American or European infidel…citizens of countries that have allied against the Islamic State trust in Allah and kill him by any method.’

The content is said to include beheadings and calls for the viewer to rise up and kill Westerners ‘by any method’.

Another post featured footage of the burning alive of the Jordanian pilot, it was said.

Ms Selby alleged that Kissa was part of a 15-strong group called ‘The Researchers’ who used the Telegram app to post extremist material.

One such post related to a ‘call to arms against the countries that have gone against IS, captioned: ‘Trust in Allah kill by any ways and any method.’

Kissa pleaded not guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 22 September earlier this year.

His trial at the Old Bailey has been set for 22 May 2023 and is estimated to last five days. He will attend a plea and trial preparation hearing at the same court on 10 February next year.

Kissa, of Trelawn Road, Leyton, east London, faces 13 counts of dissemination of a terrorist publication and one count of possessing a document containing information likely to be useful for terrorism. He remains in custody.