‘TikTok Jihadist’ jailed after taking ‘oath of allegiance’ to Isis and plotting to become terror sniper
An extremist who gave himself the nickname of ‘TikTok Jihadist’ has been jailed for 11 years.
Kyle Marcano, 28, took an ‘oath of allegiance’ in a plot to join the terrorist group Isis and become a sniper.
Marcano was excluded from school at the age of 11 and has a violent past including offences for robbery, wounding and blackmail. It was while he was in prison he became radicalised.
At Birmingham Crown Court he was sentenced to 11 years in jail with an extended four-year licence period.
The court heard how he shared extremist material including official Islamic State propaganda depicting executions and vowed to commit violence in the UK in the name of Jihad if he was prevented from leaving.
Marcano had set up the group chat on Telegram, a social media app providing encrypted communication, which had ten members, including a boy who made everyone else aware he was 14 years of age, reports BirminghamLive.
In a three-minute and 15-second video produced by Isis’s media wing in 2016, that Jihad, “holy war”, was a “defensive” attitude that was an ‘obligation’ of all Muslim people due to what he called Western oppression against Islam. The court heard how the video promoted the “wholesale killing of non-believers” and showed “graphic executions”.
Marcano also shared a 13-minute video which was put out by Islamic State in 2014 to recruit foreign fighters, urging people to sacrifice their “fat job, big car and families” for the “honour and happiness” of Jihad.
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Prosecutor John Greany said: “Clearly he intended to abscond initially to Birmingham then he hoped to travel to join Islamic State. He expressed his desire to become a sniper and get involved in physical violence.
“He expressed at various times his hatred for Jews and was operating a social media account called ‘TikTokJihadist’.”
Annie Fendrich, defending, told the court Marcano was excluded from school aged 11, did not attend secondary school and only learned to read and write at the age of 13 at a youth offenders institution. She stated he had been in care as an early teenager and had experienced poverty and insecure housing for many years.
She added: “He wishes to express his feelings of remorse. He understands he has made mistakes. He was vulnerable to radicalisation and has the capacity to be deradicalised. He is willing.”
Passing sentence, Judge Farrer said: “I have no doubt you were in control of that group from the time it was set up to the time of your arrest. Initially, you were the administrator but for security reasons, you left and rejoined under another name.
“You sent a large amount of Islamic State propaganda and spoke of your desire to travel to the Middle East and fight for Islamic State. You told the group you wanted to be a sniper and purchased items of clothing.
“If prevented you intended to ‘open the doors of Jihad’. You were a fervent supporter of Islamic State and its terrorist agenda and you were willing to use extreme violence in either this country or abroad.”