White British Muslim is arrested for ‘collecting jihadi cash’ in MoS sting: Suspected ISIS fundraiser questioned by anti-terror squad

A suspected fundraiser for barbaric terror group Islamic State was dramatically arrested yesterday following a Mail on Sunday investigation into a sinister network operating in Britain. British plumber Adam Locksley was being questioned by anti-terror squad detectives last night as officers from Scotland Yard’s SO15 unit searched the 28-year-old’s North London home.

The arrest came after this newspaper handed police evidence from a three-week undercover operation that reveals how notorious British fanatic Omar Hussain, known as the Supermarket Jihadi, organises cash collections from IS sympathisers in the UK from his hideout in Syria.

Our expose also reveals how:

Young supporters of the terror group are told to steal from non-Muslims to raise cash for jihadis;

Money is being funnelled to Syria via Western Union and Moneygram cash transfer systems to buy weapons, clothes and equipment for IS fighters; The terrorists even arrange couriers to collect money from donors in person, but use elaborate plots to avoid detection;

The network communicates via a highly-encrypted messaging app called Kik, under the noses of police and security services.

The fundraising cell was infiltrated after a reporter posed as a would-be donor offering to give money to jihadis in Syria. The reporter contacted Hussain in Syria on Kik and was immediately encouraged to donate money.

A series of exchanges then took place between the reporter and associates of Hussain in Syria and Britain, and a cash drop was arranged. The dramatic sting unfolded when an IS middleman then sent Locksley to pick up £1,000 cash hidden in a package among bags of sand outside a builders’ warehouse in North London. The reporter did not leave any money inside the package as this would have been against the law.

The package merely contained an A-Z map book of London

We later handed our evidence to police who, within 12 hours, arrested Locksley. Last night, a Metropolitan Police spokesman said: ‘Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command [SO15] have arrested a man on suspicion of terrorist fundraising.

‘The 28-year-old man was arrested on Saturday afternoon, October 24, near to his home address in North London on suspicion of terrorist fundraising, contrary to Section 15 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The arrest was made under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and he was taken into custody at a North London police station where he remains at this time. A search of his address is ongoing.’

Shortly after Locksley’s arrest, four detectives arrived at his flat in Hendon to search the property. After four hours the officers led away two women wearing headscarves from the property. Neighbours said Locksley was a polite and quiet man, who lived with a young Middle Eastern-looking woman, believed to be his wife.

After the reporter contacted Hussain on Kik, Hussain sent a long group message saying how IS was desperate for money. He wrote: ‘To those who love the Islamic State and wish to assist in its expansion, we are in dire need of financial support for the sake of Allah. Alhamdulillah [praise be to God] we are currently working on a few projects for which we require financial aid.’

In the same message, Hussain gave the name and Kik address of an American jihadi in IS-controlled Syria, called Abu Issa Amriki, as the person to contact if anyone wanted to donate money.

When the reporter contacted Amriki on Kik, he was asked to donate as soon as he could. Amriki encouraged the reporter to donate as much as 1,000 dollars or euros.

Amriki told him that he could raise the money through charity or by ‘stealing’ from non-Muslims. Amriki said: ‘Stealing from kuffar [non-believers] for mujahideen [jihad fighters] is halal [lawful].’

When asked what the money was going to be used for, Amriki replied: ‘Medicine, drones, night vision, thermals, range finders, sniper scopes, weapons, clothes for brothers, daily expenses for mujahideen… any families of the shaheed [dead jihadis].’ He asked the reporter to send the money by Moneygram transfer to an IS agent in Bosnia.

…Amriki contacted the reporter again by Kik, saying he had a British-based IS fundraiser who could come to collect the money from him.

Amriki wrote: ‘Akhi [my brother] i might have a brother close by to u, a british brother who can pick up the money from you. R u interested to give?’ When the reporter told the jihadi that he would be willing to meet the UK-based agent, Amriki sent the investigator the Kik address of the British IS sympathiser.

The UK-based IS agent called himself Abu Abdul-Rahman Britani… Britani then agreed to send a pick-up man to meet the fake donor, but tested him first by asking him questions to make sure he was not a police officer or MI5 agent. The reporter, who said he lived in Acton, West London, was asked which mosque he prayed at. He was also asked theological questions about the Koran. After the questions and answers, Britani said he was ‘happy’ the reporter was a genuine Muslim.

Britani told the reporter to go to a branch of builders’ merchant Selco in Cricklewood Broadway, North London. Britani told him that he would meet a courier called Omar, a slim, white Muslim, about 5ft 10ins, and with a ‘handful’-sized beard.

Security advisers warned the MoS team that it was too dangerous to meet for fear of kidnap or violence. Instead, we agreed that we would leave the package at the location for the courier to pick up.

Shortly after Locksley picked up the package, Britani sent a series of Kik messages to the reporter.

He said: ‘A-Z book of London. You think your [sic] funny. You wasted the good brother’s time and our time. We wanted to help you give charity to the poor but you’re a game player.’ He added: ‘Are you even a Muslim? Who are you really?’