Suspected ‘ISIS Beatle’ admits terror offences
The Muslim convert once suspected of being the fourth member of the notorious Islamic State death squad dubbed The Beatles today (mon) admitted terror offences.
Aine Davis, 39, was deported from Turkey and arrested at Luton Airport on August 10 last year.
Davis admitted possessing a firearm, funding and making funding arrangements in relation to sending 20,000 euros to Turkey or Syria, all for the purpose of terrorism.
He was arrested after serving a seven-and-a-half-year sentence in a Turkish prison.
He possessed a firearm, in circumstances which give rise to a reasonable suspicion that purpose was for the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism, between 28 July 2013 and 16 January 2014.
Davis invited others to provide money for terrorism and made further funding arrangements with his hairdresser wife Amal El-Wahabi, on or before 13 January 2014 and 16 January 2014.
Bearded Davis appeared at the Old Bailey via video-link from HMP Belmarsh wearing a grey tracksuit.
Judge Mark Lucraft, KC, the Recorder of London said: ‘Mr Davis you have this morning pleaded guilty to the three counts on the indictment, I’ve set a date for your sentencing hearing which will be at this court on 13 November.’
Davis, of no fixed address, was remanded in custody ahead of sentence on 13 November.
Kashif Malik, prosecuting, told an earlier hearing Davis adopted the first name Hamza following his conversion to the Islamic faith.
‘Between 2007 and 2012, together with his wife, Amal El-Wahabi, they spent time overseas visiting countries such as Saudi Arabia.
‘However, it wasn’t until 28 July 2013 that Mr Davis left the UK on a flight from Luton to Amsterdam.
‘He arrived in Turkey on 5 September 2013 and departed from there.
‘He travelled to Syria.
‘Whilst Mr Davis was in Syria he maintained regular contact with his wife – they exchanged messages and images.
‘It was clear from these images that Mr Davis was fighting in Syria and was not there for lawful purposes and on occasion he was in possession of a firearm.’
Mr Malik added: ‘In around 2014, Mr Davis was close friends with Amal El-Wahabi.
‘Instigated by Mr Davis, El-Wahabi recruited Nawal Masaad to take money to Syria on the promise of payment of €1,000 and expenses.
‘Shortly after 9.15am on Thursday, 16 January 2014, police officers on duty at Heathrow Airport stopped Nawal Masaad as she boarded a flight to Istanbul.
‘She was found to be carrying €20,000.
‘It is believed that this was to be collected by either Mr Davis or an associate as she had been given a Turkish phone number.
‘The money had been raised in the UK and the Crown says [this was] to support a terrorist cause.’
Masaad, then an HR management student at London Metropolitan University, was cleared of funding terrorism by an Old Bailey jury in August 2014.
She insisted she said she was ‘stitched up’ by El-Wahabi, who told her the cash was for a house deposit and new life in Turkey.
El-Wahabi became the first British woman to be convicted of terror offences during the Syrian conflict and received a 28-month sentence.
Davis was arrested by the Turkish authorities in Istanbul on 12 November 2015 after suspicions were raised that he was associated with ISIS.
He was found to be travelling on a forged passport.
He had reported his UK passport as lost, but the document was found in a drawer during the search of El-Wahabi’s property.
Davis, who had previously lived in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Yemen and Egypt, and learned Arabic at a mosque in Brixton after his conversion to Islam, has convictions for drug dealing and weapons possession.
El-Wahabi had claimed she knew nothing of her husband’s terrorist aims, and even tried to suggest they were not married.
But her lies were undone by the stream of messages between the pair, in which Davis sent photos and videos promoting his jihadi cause, as well as lectures by al-Qaeda high commander Anwar Al-Awlaki.
After sending one jihadi video, he told her: ‘I have chosen this path. I hope this makes things clear.’
He told her to ‘trust in Allah’ and sent photos of himself posing and smiling with an AK47.
In return, El-Wahabi sent Davis a picture of their son in a jihadi headscarf making a one-fingered salute with his hand – just like his dad.
The couple met in a mosque while she worked as a nursery school teacher, and stayed together despite her family disapproving of his criminal background.
Davis has always being a member of the so-called Beatles terrorist cell.
Two other members, El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey, are now seving life in US jails.
The third Beatle, Mohammed Emwazi, dubbed Jihadi John, was filmed carrying out IS beheadings of western hostages before he was killed in a drone strike in 2015.
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