Isis supporter who faked qualifications to gain work as a cardiographer jailed

Ali Abdillahi, 31, has been jailed for eight years and ten months for disseminating extremist propaganda over instant messaging app Telegram in July 2020 and fabricating a university degree to gain employment as a cardiographer at Croydon University Hospital.

In July 2020, Abdillahi put false details on his CV when applying for work as a cardiographer through an agency, in addition to supplying a forged certificate of qualification. No concerns were raised about his work once his employment had commenced, meaning that he was able to earn £2,100 before his arrest and cessation of employment in August 2020. Abdillahi was arrested after detectives discovered a private Telegram group created by him called “Sons of Abdullah.” Abdillahi was arrested at his home where his devices were seized and examined, resulting in recordings being found of extremist Islamist preachers advocating armed jihad and further videos detailing executions and graphic acts of violence.

When questioned, Abdillahi claimed that he had not been taking his medication and had never intended to deceive anybody:

“I believe I created a character for myself, and looking back, I do not know what is real and what is not…I was convinced I had a degree. My intention was not to lie or anything like that.”

His phone contained a “pledge of allegiance” to Isis, and notebooks found in his home further corroborated his extremist mindset. The material which was uploaded to the Telegram instant messaging app in July 2020 gained a view count ranging from 280 to 1,300.

On Monday 14th March 2022, Mr Justice Sweeney sentenced Abdillahi to eight years for disseminating terrorist publications, and another ten months for perverting the course of justice (in lying about his qualifications). Mr Sweeney stated that this was one of the “more serious cases of this type.”

This represents another example of missed opportunities to detect not only fraudulent documentation and falsified CV details, but dangerous online activity also.