A man from Luton has been convicted of terrorism offences, after detectives found extremist documents saved on his mobile phone.

Mohammed Adnan Saleem, 22, of Montrose Avenue, Luton, was today (Tuesday) found guilty of three counts of Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000, following an investigation led by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).

Saleem was arrested by ERSOU officers in May 2020, with investigators seizing two mobile phones, a laptop, digital storage devices and a games console.

Examination by digital forensics experts found the devices to contain several banned documents, including a guide to bomb making and a file on explosives.

He was subsequently charged with eight counts of collecting or possessing material likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

Following a three-week trial at the Central Criminal Court, a jury found him guilty of three of those counts.

He will be sentenced at the same court on Friday, 28 April.

Hannah Wilkinson, head of ERSOU's Counter Terrorism Policing unit, said: "Throughout our enquiries it was clear that Saleem held a dangerous extremist mindset, downloading Islamist propaganda and speaking to others about his views on jihad.

"In addition, he sought to use encrypted communications tools to hide his activity, which demonstrates that he knew his actions were wrong.

"I would urge anyone who thinks a loved one has started to hold extremist views or is showing signs of radicalisation to act right away."

Bedfordshire Police's Assistant Chief Constable, Sharn Basra, said: "There is no place in Bedfordshire for those who hold extremist views. We work closely with our partners through Prevent to help reduce the risk of people of all ages and backgrounds from being radicalised into holding extreme ideological views. 

"Our communities are our eyes and ears for this, so if you think someone you know may be being radicalised, it's important you take action and speak out." 

If you see or hear something that doesn't seem right, please trust your instincts and ACT early especially if the people you love and know have started to have extreme views or are just acting differently to before.

Reporting won't ruin lives, but it could save them. Action Counters Terrorism.