Father of killed Syria jihadists jailed after calling for ‘jihad by sword’ at Brighton mosque
The father of two jihadists who died fighting for an al-Qaeda faction in Syria has been jailed for encouraging terrorism.
Abubaker Deghayes, 54, gave a speech at a Brighton mosque where he called for “jihad by the sword” in November 2020.
He denied that his speech could be interpreted as a call to violence, but was convicted and jailed for four years.
Sentencing him at the Old Bailey on Thursday, Judge Nigel Lickley QC said children had been in the audience when he began to speak.
He told Deghayes he was “reckless” over whether listeners would be encouraged to commit acts of terrorism, adding: “You have refused to accept the jury’s verdict and maintain you will continue to speak as you did.
“That represents a significant lack of insight and lack of reflection on your part. There is accordingly no remorse.”
Deghayes was handed a four-year prison term and an extra one-year period of licence supervision after his release.
Three of his sons travelled from their Sussex home to Syria in 2014 and joined the al-Qaeda affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra group.
Jaffar Deghayes died at the age of 17, Abdullah at the age of 18, and the third brother Amer is reported to be imprisoned in Syria, the court heard.
Another son, Abdul Deghayes, was stabbed to death by a gang member aged 22 in 2019. The mosque speech was made days after his murderer was sentenced.
The defendant’s brother, Omar Deghayes, was detained at Guantanamo for five years over alleged terror links that he denied.
Deghayes, who works for his elderly mother collecting rents from and managing properties she owns, was supported by character references speaking of his campaigning for his brother’s freedom and his “opposition to his sons’ travel to Syria”.
In media interviews in 2015, Deghayes said he had travelled to Turkey in a failed attempt to convince them to return home, but he had previously described one killed son as a martyr“ who died ”for a just cause“.
Abdullah Deghayes died days after his 18th birthday while fighting for Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria in 2014 (Facebook)
A serious case review published by the Brighton and Hove Local Safeguarding Children Board found authorities had “missed opportunities” to stop their radicalisation and travel to Syria.
In 2010, five of Deghayes’ children told staff at a youth club that they were being forced to wake up at 4.30am to study the Quran and whipped if their father “felt that they were not studying properly”, triggering child protection plans.
The report said the children were allegedly pressured by their father to retract statements made to police about the abuse, which he denied and alleged to be part of a “racist vendetta” by a youth worker.
Their family had been known to local authorities in Brighton for decades over domestic abuse and as the victims of racist attacks.
The court heard that Deghayes was born in Libya and came to the UK in 1986.
The defendant, of Saltdean in Sussex, has previously been convicted and jailed for an offence committed against his wife.
The court heard that on 1 November 2020, Deghayes had attended evening prayers at the Brighton Mosque and Muslim Community Centre then “stood at the front of the congregation and gave a speech”.
During the 20-minute address, he called non-Muslims “idiots” and said Muslims were obliged to “emigrate” abroad if they are “in a land where we can’t practice our religion”.
He told the congregation: “Jihad is compulsory upon you, you, you and you until the day of resurrection, whatever the British government thinks, whatever [counter-terror programme] Prevent thinks, whatever Israel thinks; send to the sea. They can go and drink from the sea [inaudible] Allah curse their fathers, OK?”
UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 21 April 2022 The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), the City of London’s Reserve Army Regiment, fire a 62 Gun Royal Salute at the Tower of London to mark the 96th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II PA UK news in pictures 20 April 2022 Stella Morris the wife of Julian Assange talks to the media outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, after Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was formally issued with an order for extradition to the US to face espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 19 April 2022 Sunrise behind the Bass Rock off the East Lothian coast near North Berwick PA UK news in pictures 18 April 2022 Riders dressed as knights take part in the International Jousting Tournament, held at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, northern England AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 17 April 2022 Cyclists take part in MacAvalanche, a mass start mountain bike race through the snow, descending over 900m from the summit of Aonach Mor in the Nevis Range near Fort William PA UK news in pictures 16 April 2022 Zara Tindall riding Classicals Euro Star takes part in the Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International Horse Trials in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 15 April 2022 People on the beach in Bournemouth. Good Friday is set to be the hottest day of the year so far, experts have predicted, ahead of “very pleasant” spring conditions over the Easter weekend PA UK news in pictures 14 April 2022 Migrants arrive at Dover port after being picked up in the channel by the border force Getty UK news in pictures 13 April 2022 A demonstrator is carried away by police outside the Department for Business in London after protesting against oil and gas production PA UK news in pictures 12 April 2022 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (left) arrive for a meeting at Young People’s Futures, a charity investing in the future of Scotland’s young people, as part of a campaign visit in Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 11 April 2022 Studio supervisor Emma Meehan adds the final touches to a waxwork of US drag queen RuPaul at the unveiling at Madame Tussauds of the latest waxwork in Blackpool AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 10 April 2022 People take part in a protest outside Downing Street in London, over transgender people not being included in plans to ban conversion therapy PA UK news in pictures 9 April 2022 Eventual winner Noble Yeats ridden by jockey Sam Waley-Cohen take the water-jump during the Grand National Steeple Chase on the final day of the Grand National at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpoo AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 8 April 2022 Police officers work to remove activists from Extinction Rebellion who were hanging from suspension cords beside a giant banner that reads “End fossil fuels now”, as they stage a protest on Tower Bridge, east London, which has been closed to traffic PA UK news in pictures 7 April 2022 Lorries queued in Operation Brock on the M20 near Ashford in Kent as freight delays continue at the Port of Dover, in Kent, where P&O ferry services remain suspended after the company sacked 800 workers without notice PA UK news in pictures 6 April 2022 Performer Martti Peltonen stands beneath a chocolate easter egg as it is shattered by a crossbow bolt during a photocall for Circus Vegas in Old Deer Park, Richmond, at the start of their first British tour in over four years PA UK news in pictures 5 April 2022 New street art which has appeared in Leith, Edinburgh, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The mural features a Nightingale, the official national bird of Ukraine, against the country’s flag PA UK news in pictures 4 April 2022 Ai-Da, an ultra-realistic robot named after Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer, paints an image during a photocall in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 April 2022 Cambridge women’s team celebrate after winning the 76th Women’s Boat Race on the River Thames in London PA UK news in pictures 2 April 2022 People protest against the rising cost of living outside Downing Street in London Reuters UK news in pictures 1 April 2022 Freight and passenger queues waiting to check in at the Port of Dover, Kent, as some ferry services remain suspended at the Port of Dover following P&O Ferries sacking of 800 seafarers without notice PA UK news in pictures 31 March 2022 A soldier of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment falls off a horse during a practice to participate in the state ceremonial surrounding this year’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations at Hyde Park in London AP UK news in pictures 30 March 2022 Sheep in snow on Shetland SWNS UK news in pictures 29 March 2022 Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of York arrive at a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London PA UK news in pictures 28 March 2022 Performers including dancers from Ukraine rehearse the finale as Blackpool Tower Circus prepares to reopen following £1 Million renovation Getty UK news in pictures 27 March 2022 Re-enactors in the grounds of Bolton Castle near to Leyburn in North Yorkshire, watch as re-enactors bring alive the story of the Battle of Towton, which took place on March 29th, 1461 at a small village near to York called Towton PA UK news in pictures 26 March 2022 Early morning swimmers play with a ball in the sea at Cullercoats Bay on the north east coast of England PA UK news in pictures 25 March 2022 A view of lorries queued on the A20 near Dover in Kent as freight delays continue at the Port of Dover where P&O ferry services remain suspended after the company sacked 800 workers without notice last week PA UK news in pictures 24 March 2022 A group of people thought to be migrants are are guided up the beach after being brought in to Dungeness, Kent, onboard the RNLI Lifeboat following a small boat incident in the Channel PA UK news in pictures 23 March 2022 John Shipton, father of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, walks with his son’s partner Stella Moris as they leave from Belmarsh Prison in London where Moris was set to marry Julian Assange AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 March 2022 A pedestrian looks at cherry blossom trees in Battersea Park, in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 21 March 2022 People walk by daffodils and flowering cherry blossom in War Memorial Park in Coventry PA UK news in pictures 20 March 2022 The Druid Order Spring Equinox ceremony held at Tower Hill Terrace in London. The druids hold a ceremony celebrating the rise of the light. Ceridwen, the earth mother, brings token seeds which are symbolically sown around a circle. The concern of The Druid Order is with the evolution of humanity in harmony with the universe and to teach through open meetings, ceremonies, meditation and ritual PA UK news in pictures 19 March 2022 People take part in the “Stand up to Racism” march in central London to mark UN Anti-Racism Day PA UK news in pictures 18 March 2022 A dog walker on Bamburgh Beach in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 17 March 2022 Britain’s Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge presents a traditional sprig of shamrock to the mascot of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards, Irish Wolfhound dog Turlough Mor known as Seamus – and his handler drummer Adam Walsh during a St Patrick’s Day Parade at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, south west of London. AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 16 March 2022 Lenny Boyd, 5, explores the sunflowers during a preview for Van Gogh Alive, an immersive, multi-sensory art experience combining high-definition projections of Van Gogh’s paintings with digital surround sound and aromas of Provence, at the Festival Square, in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 15 March 2022 Racegoers in the crowd watch the runners and riders in action as Brazil and jockey Mark Walsh win the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle on day one of the Cheltenham Festival PA UK news in pictures 14 March 2022 Nine year old Remo wears the police hat belonging to dog handle Constable Paul O’Donnell as they speak to the media at Tulliallan Police College, Police Scotland’s Headquarters PA UK news in pictures 13 March 2022 A train driver checks Locomotive 4555 as it steams up and prepares to pull out of the platform at Cranmore station on the East Somerset Railway PA UK news in pictures 12 March 2022 Surfers ride the waves at Rest Bay in Porthcawl as a yellow wind warning is in force across West Wales over the weekend PA UK news in pictures 11 March 2022 Members of the Royal Navy march through Portsmouth during a Royal Navy Freedom of the City parade PA UK news in pictures 10 March 2022 A woman walks miniature poodles into the first day of the Crufts Dog Show at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre PA UK news in pictures 9 March 2022 A visitor looks at the piece of art called “Myth Explored, explained and exploded” dated of 1993, during a press visit of the exhibition “Natural History” dedicated to British artist Damien Hirst and his formaldehyde sculptures at the Gagosian Kings Cross gallery, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 8 March 2022 MPs giving a standing ovation to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky after he speaks to them by live video-link in the House of Commons, in London UK PARLIAMENT/AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 7 March 2022 A mural of Ringo Starr, commissioned by Liverpool artist John Culshaw, is unveiled on the gable end of the Empress Pub on Admiral Street in Toxteth, Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 6 March 2022 Cars make their way along the flooded A1101 in Welney in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 5 March 2022 People hold placards as they take part in a protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Trafalgar Square, London AP UK news in pictures 4 March 2022 Volunteers help sort through fresh donations after more than 500 boxes of essential supplies were gathered by Parenting Network at Portsmouth Guildhall PA UK news in pictures 3 March 2022 Commuters wait to get on a bus near Liverpool Street Station as all London Underground lines are suspended after thousands of workers began strike action in London EPA
Deghayes continued: “Jihad, jihad, jihad! Jihad is compulsory. Jihad by fighting by sword, this jihad is compulsory upon you, not jihad is the word of mouth.”
CCTV footage played to the court showed Mr Deghayes making what the prosecution described as a “stabbing motion” after talking about jihad.
Prosecutor Ben Lloyd told jurors Deghayes was an “Islamic extremist” who believes in the use of violence in the cause of Islam.”
Mr Lloyd said Mr Deghayes had not given the speech “naively”, and was “at the very least being reckless as to whether people would be encouraged by what they heard”.
While giving evidence to the trial in January, Deghayes claimed he had been explaining a “very central part of Islam”.
He called Islamist extremism a “made-up” phrease, adding: “There is no extreme islam, violent islam, radical islam, moderate Islam, in the Quran there is Islam.”
Judge Lickley said a pre-sentence report had found him to have “rigid” beliefs and an “inflated sense of self-importance”.
“Because you have stated that you intend to continue to make similar speeches representing a worrying aspect of your case in showing a lack of insight, your risk of re-offending is assessed as high,” he told Deghayes.
“The risk you pose is described as being to those who are impressionable and who may interpret your words as supportive of terrorism and that could encourage them to commit terrorist acts.”
