A 22-year-old man standing trial in the United Kingdom has told a court that videos he watched on YouTube and TikTok influenced his decision to attempt to join ISIS.
Mohamed Mohamoud, who was born in Somalia and moved to Bristol in 2020, is facing allegations of preparing acts of terrorism between October 1, 2024, and March 5, 2025.
Giving evidence at Winchester Crown Court on Tuesday, Mohamoud admitted that he attempted to travel to Somalia in 2025 to join ISIS but denied planning to carry out a terrorist attack or assist anyone else in doing so.
When his barrister, Dominic Thomas, asked whether he accepted that he had attempted to join ISIS, Mohamoud replied, “Yes I do.”
Asked what his plea would be if charged with attempting to join the group, he responded, “Plead guilty.”
The court had earlier heard from prosecutor Naomi Parsons that Mohamoud travelled to Somalia in January 2025 in an attempt to become a “martyr” for ISIS.
He allegedly failed to make contact with the group because of counter-terrorism operations in the country and returned to the UK in early March.
Parsons also told the jury that Mohamoud had used an AI chatbot to help him establish contact with ISIS members in Somalia.
Following his return to Britain, prosecutors said he remained in contact with ISIS recruiters and told them, “Any time, you say the word, I will return.”
‘I Was Watching Extreme Videos’
Mohamoud told the court that he was not religious before he began watching religious content on YouTube.
He said he later encountered videos on TikTok promoting ISIS.
“It was extreme videos, not violence, just people sitting there talking,” he told the jury.
According to his testimony, the videos discussed democracy, socialism and people described as “disbelievers”.
He said he was watching videos critical of democracy and other political systems when he encountered content promoting ISIS.
Mohamoud told the court that the videos made him believe groups opposed to democracy were “doing something right”.
He subsequently commented on one of the videos, expressing his desire to “emigrate” and join ISIS.
Mohamoud moved to Bristol as a teenager to live with his mother and attended college, where he studied English, mathematics and cooking.
He had previously lived in the United Arab Emirates with his stepmother.
The court also heard that he had a difficult relationship with his mother, whom he had reportedly seen only once since his parents separated when he was three.
The trial is continuing.
