Malakai Wheeler, 18, Found Guilty of Six Charges Including Possessing Terrorist Handbook.
In a concerning case, 18-year-old A-level student Malakai Wheeler from Wiltshire has been found guilty of sharing weapons manuals and terrorist documents. The verdict was delivered by a jury at Winchester Crown Court, where Wheeler faced six charges related to his activities on social media and online platforms.
The charges against Wheeler included possession of a copy of the Terrorist Handbook, sharing 92 documents and 35 images in a chatroom, and distributing instructions for the use of items that could potentially be employed for acts of terrorism, such as smoke grenades.
Wheeler, who denied being a white supremacist, admitted to using a Nazi swastika as part of his profile image on the social media platform Telegram. He claimed that he downloaded these documents with the intention of creating an archive, believing that such materials would be removed from Telegram and the internet entirely.
Additionally, Wheeler was found to have accessed videos from the terrorist group known as the Islamic State, depicting graphic scenes of violence and killings. He cited “morbid curiosity” as his reason for viewing these disturbing materials.
During the trial, Judge Jane Miller KC made it clear to Wheeler that he should expect a custodial sentence for his actions. It is important to note that Wheeler was 16 years old when he committed these offenses.
The sharing of terrorist documents and weapons manuals is illegal and is taken very seriously by authorities. Such actions pose a grave threat to national security and can have severe consequences.
Wheeler’s case underscores the importance of remaining vigilant and reporting any suspicious online activity to the appropriate authorities. Authorities are constantly monitoring online spaces to detect and prevent potential threats to public safety.
Malakai Wheeler is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3rd, and the legal proceedings will determine the appropriate penalties for his actions.
Resources:
1.https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-66811832