A British police officer was sentenced on Tuesday to 18 months of community service for sharing messages on WhatsApp supporting the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Mohammed Adil, 26, from Bradford in northern England, pleaded guilty to two charges under the Terrorism Act for sending the messages in October and November last year.
He has been suspended from duty and now faces disciplinary proceedings, potentially including dismissal.
Adil was reported by two colleagues at the West Yorkshire Police Force and charged by the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) Counter Terrorism Division.
“Mohammed Adil understood that in sharing the images he did, it would arouse suspicion that he was showing support for a terrorist organisation,” said Bethan David, head of the division.
Previously, chief magistrate Paul Goldspring had warned Adil that the crimes were “very serious” and that he could face prison time.
But on Tuesday, he said a custodial sentence would be “unnecessarily disproportionate”.
Adil was first arrested on November 6 and suspended as an officer before appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London in May.
He admitted two counts of publishing an image in support of Hamas, which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK.
It came after Israel declared war against Hamas in Gaza in response to the militant group’s unprecedented October 7 attack.
Displayed on his WhatsApp “updates”, prosecutors said the image showed a Hamas fighter wearing a Hamas headband.
In one post, Adil had added the caption: “Today is the time for the Palestinian people to rise, set their paths straight and establish an independent Palestinian state.”
It was said to be a quote from the leader of Hamas’s military wing, Mohammed Deif.
The second post was captioned: “We will hold accountable all those who occupied our lands and Allah will hold accountable all those who remained silent against this occupation and oppression.”
That was said to be from Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for the group’s military wing.
The posts were accessible for 24 hours to Adil’s 1,092 WhatsApp contacts, according to prosecutors.
“We will now commence with misconduct proceedings,” said Tanya Wilkins, of West Yorkshire Police, after the sentencing.
“We make it clear to all employees that it is not compatible for anyone working in policing to be a member of, or show support for, a proscribed organisation.”
