A social media user who published a series of online posts supporting Hamas in the wake of the October 7 terrorist attack in Israel is facing jail.
Ozain Yousef, 23, posted images of Hamas soldiers and called himself a “brother” of the proscribed organisation, Westminster magistrates court heard.
He published a clip of fighting between Hamas soldiers and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), an image of a sniper, and a picture appearing to show a Hamas soldier carrying out an execution, together with the caption “sleep tight”.
The court heard Yousef, from Leeds, also made reference online to “a nice blast from Hamas”, and to “martyrdom”.
In the dock on Friday, Yousef admitted an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000, of publishing images in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that you were a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas.
The court heard he was arrested on November 24 last year, and evidence was seized from his phone linking him to the Twitter social media account under the name Mr Ozain.
The account had Yousef’s face as a profile picture.
The posts dated from shortly after the October 7 attack by Hamas in Israel until November 17.
Defence lawyer Kara Frith said the posts “demonstrated stupidity or immaturity, actions that were attention–seeking”.
“They were the product of insular, inverted thinking, and not a real attempt to gain support for a proscribed organisation”, she said.
District Judge Daniel Sternberg adjourned sentencing until April 9, and told Yousef: “This may result in a sentence of imprisonment.”
A probation report is set to be drawn up. Yousef, from Chapeltown in northeast Leeds, was given bail until the sentencing hearing.
