A London teenager has been jailed for four and a half years for terrorism offences after amassing bomb‑making guides and extremist material spanning multiple ideologies, then stalking two teenage girls and a teacher who reported his behaviour.
Dihan Rahman, 19, from Southall, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Wednesday after pleading guilty in February to three charges of possessing documents likely to be useful to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism, three counts of stalking and three counts of making indecent images of children.
Terrorist material
Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) detectives who analysed Rahman’s mobile phone, computer and an encrypted hard drive found that he had downloaded guides on how to build bombs. He also possessed material linked to incel, pro‑ISIS and extreme right‑wing ideologies, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Rahman was the administrator of a far‑right group called the Strumjäger Group on the encrypted messaging app Telegram. The CPS said the group is “known for its encouragement of violence”. Rahman frequently expressed antisemitic views.
His devices contained images of Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, beheadings, dead bodies and violent depictions of women being hurt and strangled. A manifesto he had written was found in his school bag. One selfie showed him making a Nazi salute; another showed him holding a rope noose.
During the investigation, a teacher confiscated Rahman’s phone and saw an image of him dressed in army uniform with the caption “kill yourself”, and another with a headscarf and the words “who’s in for a Valentines school shooting”.
Rahman initially admitted owning the documents but claimed he did not know they contained information that would help a terrorist. The prosecution argued that his wider online activity, beliefs and mindset demonstrated a fascination with the violence within the material.
Stalking campaign
Rahman’s stalking offences began after he moved to a new school and one of the teenage girls rejected his romantic advances. He bombarded her with messages on social media, doxxed her and her friends’ details to encourage online harassment, and visited locations he knew they would be.
He also posted an image on social media tagging the venue for the school prom alongside a photograph of a German Nazi soldier in a forest holding a gun. The prom was moved for security reasons, with extra security added.
When the teacher who had found the material on his phone contacted police, Rahman began stalking her as well. He posted the personal details of the girls and the teacher online, claiming they were involved in a “conspiracy” related to the investigation into him. He was arrested in November 2024 and remanded in custody.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of CTP London, said the case was “yet another example of a growing and concerning trend of young people being drawn into extremist, violent and terrorist ideologies – principally from what they are exposed to and consuming online”. She praised the “courage and resilience” of the victims and the actions of Rahman’s teachers, who contacted police with their concerns.
Bethan David, Head of Counter Terrorism for the CPS, said Rahman was “driven by his extreme ideologies and misogynistic views” and that his “derogatory views about women and his interest in mixed extreme ideologies drove him to commit the stalking offences causing considerable fear and distress to his victims”.
