Woman who planned to join terrorist group jailed

A woman has been sentenced to life in prison for terror-related offences after she planned to travel to Afghanistan to join Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).

Farishta Jami, 36, from Stratford-upon-Avon, was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday, and told she must serve a minimum term of 17 years.

She had been found guilty of two counts of engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorism under section five of the Terrorism Act 2006, following a trial at the same court in February.

Jami had researched weaponry and how to assemble and disassemble an AK47 rifle, according to Warwickshire Police, which said she was an administrator on several social media groups overseeing the posting and messaging of users.

Some of the groups had more than 700 members and disseminated large amounts of propaganda including instructional videos to make devices.

Jami's trial heard she also shared graphic and violent extremist material on social media between September 2022 and January 2024.

Her flight to Afghanistan for which she had saved was one-way, police said.

Head of specialist operation for the force Supt Darren Webster said: "This was a complex case interlinking terrorism and serious criminal offences, and we welcome the result.

"Jami's actions had the potential for real world implications and the harm they could have cause cannot be underestimated."

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