Pro-Palestinian man admits terror offence over banned T-shirt
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Feras Al Jayoosi, 34, pleaded guilty to four counts of wearing an article supporting a proscribed organisation at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday. The charges relate to him wearing T-shirts supporting proscribed groups from Palestine.
Mr Al Jayoosi wore shirts supporting Hamas Izz al-Din al Qassem Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian organisation Hamas, and Palestine Islamic Jihad.
Both groups are proscribed as terrorist organisations in the UK.
Three of the charges relate to Al Jayoosi wearing the garments in Golders Green, an area of north London with a large Jewish population, on June 8 and 9 this year.
The fourth relates to an incident at Barbury Castle, an Iron Age hill fort in Wiltshire, on May 30.
Mr Al Jayoosi, from Swindon, stood in the dock to confirm his name, date of birth and address before pleading guilty to the charges.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring adjourned sentencing to December 17 for reports to be prepared.
He said: “These are difficult cases to sentence.
“There is a fine line between support for a legitimate cause and support for a proscribed organisation and you have entered your pleas on that basis.”
Mr Goldspring released Al Jayoosi, whom the court heard has been diagnosed with autism, on conditional bail.
Commander Richard Smith, who leads the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Al Jayoosi’s actions caused a great deal of concern within local communities, and an investigation was quickly launched as a result of a call to police.
“This case further underlines how important information from communities is to our work, and how seriously we take reports of this nature.
“I would urge anyone with concerns or suspicions about crime in their neighbourhood to call police – we will listen, and we will act.”
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