A convicted ISIS member who crossed the English Channel in a small boat told authorities he came to Britain after hearing on TikTok that the UK “accepts everyone” and respects human rights, a court has heard.
Mohammed Yaseen, 35, arrived in the UK from France in December 2025 despite previously serving a prison sentence in Germany for being a member of ISIS.
Winchester Crown Court heard Yaseen gave Border Force officers a false name, age and nationality after arriving in Britain and claimed asylum.
Prosecutors said he falsely claimed to be from Kuwait and failed to disclose his previous terrorism conviction.
The court heard Yaseen travelled to Germany in 2014 before being convicted of participating in a terrorist organisation and membership of ISIS. He was jailed for four years and three months and later banned from returning to Germany for 20 years.
Despite that, he travelled to France before boarding a small boat carrying around 80 people across the English Channel.
Prosecutor Steven Molloy told the court Yaseen explained his decision by saying: “He did not like it in France but heard on TikTok that the UK accepts everyone and respects human rights.”
After arriving in Britain, Yaseen was accommodated at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Basingstoke while his asylum claim was processed.
However, biometric checks revealed his true identity and previous conviction in Germany, leading to his arrest on Christmas Eve.
The court also heard Yaseen had attended public executions, floggings and stonings while living under ISIS control in Iraq and had been found in possession of a Kalashnikov rifle.
Mr Molloy told the court there had been “a deeper and lengthy involvement in terrorism and Islamic extremist ideology”, adding: “Our assessment is that he is high risk in all categories. There is a danger that this individual poses to the whole of the UK.”
Yaseen admitted one count of attempting to enter the UK without valid entry clearance.
His defence accepted his previous conviction but argued it was unrelated to the immigration offence before the court and noted he had not committed further offences since arriving in Britain.
Sentencing him to two years in prison, Judge Christopher Parker KC described his culpability as “exceedingly high”.
The judge also told Yaseen there was “a strong likelihood” he would be deported before or shortly after completing his sentence.
