Convicted ISIS Member Who Entered UK by Small Boat Jailed After Revealing Why He Chose Britain

A convicted ISIS member has been jailed after illegally entering the UK on a small boat, with a court hearing that he chose Britain after watching a TikTok video claiming the country “accepts everyone” and has strong human rights protections.

Mohammed Yaseen, 35, crossed the English Channel from France in December 2025 before claiming asylum after arriving in Britain. However, prosecutors told the court that Yaseen had already been convicted in Germany for being a member of the ISIS terrorist group and had served a prison sentence before making his way to the UK.

Winchester Crown Court heard that when Border Force officers stopped the small boat, Yaseen did not tell the truth about who he was. Instead, he gave a false name, claimed to be from Kuwait and hid both his real identity and his previous terrorism conviction. Prosecutors said these false claims were made in an attempt to avoid detection while entering the country.

The court was told that Yaseen had travelled to Germany in 2014, where he later became involved with ISIS. German authorities eventually arrested him, and he was convicted of participating in a terrorist organisation and being a member of ISIS. He was sentenced to four years and three months in prison. After completing his sentence, Germany banned him from returning to the country for the next 20 years.

Despite that ban, Yaseen later travelled to France. From there, he joined around 80 other migrants on a small boat attempting to cross the English Channel into the UK. Border Force intercepted the vessel on December 13, 2025, shortly after it entered British waters.

During the hearing, prosecutor Steven Molloy explained why Yaseen had chosen to come to Britain instead of remaining in France. According to immigration officials, Yaseen said he did not like living in France and had watched a TikTok video claiming that the UK accepts everyone and places great importance on protecting human rights. The prosecution said this was one of the reasons he decided to make the dangerous journey across the Channel.

After arriving in Britain, Yaseen was accommodated at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Basingstoke while his asylum claim was being processed. However, his stay did not last long. Routine biometric checks quickly revealed that the identity he had provided was false and matched records linked to his previous terrorism conviction in Germany. He was arrested at the hotel on Christmas Eve.

The court also heard details about Yaseen’s past in Iraq before he travelled to Europe. Prosecutors described his life before arriving in Germany as deeply connected to ISIS-controlled areas. They said he had witnessed public executions, floggings and stonings carried out by the terrorist group and had been found in possession of a Kalashnikov rifle during the investigation that led to his conviction.

Mr Molloy told the court that Yaseen’s involvement with terrorism went far beyond a brief association. He described it as a long-term commitment to extremist ideology and warned that the defendant continued to present a serious risk.

He told the judge that official assessments rated Yaseen as high risk across every category and argued that he posed a danger to the wider public in the UK.

Yaseen admitted one charge of attempting to enter the UK without valid entry clearance. During the proceedings, he used an Arabic interpreter. However, prosecutors argued that he was capable of speaking English and appeared to switch back to Arabic when he realised people nearby could understand what he was saying.

His defence lawyer, Katie Porter-Windley, accepted that Yaseen had previously been convicted of terrorism offences in Germany but argued that those convictions were separate from the immigration offence before the court. She also pointed out that he had not committed any further offences since arriving in Britain.

When sentencing Yaseen to two years in prison, Judge Christopher Parker KC said the offence was made more serious because he had deliberately hidden his criminal past and previous terrorism conviction from the UK authorities.

The judge told Yaseen that he had made no attempt to disclose his conviction in Germany and described his level of responsibility as “exceedingly high.” He also said there was a strong likelihood that Yaseen would be deported from the UK either before completing his prison sentence or immediately after serving it.

Following the sentence, it is expected that Yaseen will be removed from Britain once the legal process has been completed, bringing an end to a case that raised further concerns about individuals with serious criminal and terrorism backgrounds attempting to enter the UK through illegal Channel crossings.