Mohamed Farah Mohamoud told Winchester Crown Court that extreme online videos influenced his decision to try to join the militant group in Somalia
Mohamed Farah Mohamoud, a 21-year-old Bristol man accused of preparing acts of terrorism, told Winchester Crown Court on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, that he attempted to travel to Somalia to join Islamic State after becoming influenced by what he described as “extreme” videos on YouTube and TikTok.
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Mohamoud, who was born in Somalia and moved to Bristol in 2020, is standing trial over allegations that he engaged in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts between October 1, 2024, and March 5, 2025.
Giving evidence in his defence, Mohamoud accepted that he had attempted to join ISIS in Somalia but denied intending to commit a terrorist act or assist anyone else in carrying one out.
Asked by his barrister, Dominic Thomas, whether he accepted that he had attempted to join ISIS, Mohamoud replied: “Yes I do.”
Thomas then asked what plea he would enter if he were charged specifically with attempting to join the group.
“Plead guilty,” Mohamoud replied.
The admission forms part of a wider prosecution case that Mohamoud travelled to Somalia in early 2025 with the intention of becoming a “martyr” for ISIS.
Prosecutor Naomi Parsons previously told the jury that Mohamoud travelled to Somalia in January 2025 but was unable to reach the group because of counter-terrorism operations in the country.
He returned to the UK in early March, the court heard.
The prosecution also alleges that Mohamoud used an AI chatbot while attempting to establish contact with ISIS members in Somalia.
After returning to Britain, he allegedly remained in contact with ISIS recruiters and told them: “Any time, you say the word, I will return.”
Mohamoud’s evidence focused partly on how his interest in extremist ideology developed online.
He told the court that he had not been particularly religious before beginning to watch videos about religion on YouTube.
He said he later encountered content on TikTok that promoted ISIS.
“It was extreme videos, not violence, just people sitting there talking,” he told the jury.
According to his evidence, some of the material discussed democracy, socialism and people described by the speakers as “disbelievers”.
Mohamoud said he was watching videos critical of democracy and other political systems when he encountered content promoting ISIS.
“What happened was I was watching these videos, these people who do not belong to any group, so I was like ‘yes, these groups who were fighting democracy or whatnot, they are doing something right’,” he said.
He told the court that he subsequently commented on one of the videos expressing a desire to “emigrate” and join ISIS.
The prosecution’s case is that this online activity formed part of a wider process that eventually led Mohamoud to travel to Somalia.
The court has also heard that he spent about five weeks in Somalia between January 29 and March 4, 2025, and allegedly travelled towards an area associated with Islamic State militants.
He is charged with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.
The case had earlier been transferred from Westminster Magistrates’ Court to the Central Criminal Court after prosecutors obtained the necessary consent from the Attorney General for the Section 5 charge.
Mohamoud was subsequently remanded in custody ahead of the trial at Winchester Crown Court.
Mohamoud also told the jury about his background and upbringing.
He moved to Bristol as a teenager to live with his mother and attended college, where he studied English, mathematics and cooking.
Before moving to the UK, he had lived in the United Arab Emirates with his stepmother.
The court heard that he had a difficult relationship with his mother and had seen her only once since his parents separated when he was three.
Those personal circumstances form part of the background to his account of how his views developed before his journey to Somalia.
However, the central issue for the jury is not simply whether Mohamoud attempted to join ISIS, which he has now admitted, but whether the conduct alleged by prosecutors amounted to preparation for terrorist acts as charged.
His defence has sought to distinguish between an intention to join the proscribed organisation and an intention to carry out or assist terrorist acts.
The prosecution, meanwhile, has presented his journey to Somalia, alleged communications with ISIS recruiters and other evidence as part of its case that he had moved beyond expressing sympathy for the group and into conduct preparing for terrorism.
Mohamoud’s testimony provides the jury with his own account of that progression, including his claim that online content played a significant role in shaping his thinking.
The case also highlights the continuing scrutiny of social media platforms in investigations involving extremist radicalisation, particularly where apparently political or religious content can lead users towards support for proscribed organisations.
Mohamoud denies preparing to commit an act of terrorism or helping anyone else to do so.
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The trial continues at Winchester Crown Court.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
