Ryan Counsell wanted to leave the UK because of Brexit (Picture: SWNS)

A white Muslim Asda worker, who planned to join Isis, said he wanted to leave the UK because of Brexit, a court heard.

Suspicions were raised about Ryan Counsell, 28, after he bought a return ticket to the Philippines along with £900 worth of military gear.

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An investigation revealed he was researching ‘Abu Sayyaf’, an affiliate organistation of Isis which wanted to set up an autonomous Islamic state on the island of Mindanao.

Between August 2014 and May 2016, the former till worker purchased camouflage clothing, Kevlar boxer shorts magazine pouches and a cheek pad to attach to the stock of a rifle.


Upon his arrest, he was also caught with a terror manual called ‘How to make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom’.

He will be sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court (Picture: Bruno Vincent/Getty Images)

However, today the court was told he wanted to live a peaceful life under Shariah law because of the Islamophobia after the Brexit vote.



The married father-of-one was found guilty of preparing to engage in terrorist acts and possession of terror document following a four week trial last month.

At his sentencing at Woolwich Crown Court, his defence said he wanted to leave the country to live a ‘humble and simple’ life in a foreign Muslim country.

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The court heard he had discussed moving to Somalia with his wife or Bosnia before researching the Philippines.

Counsell wanted to live in a community ‘under Sharia law’ which he saw as an ‘idyllic way of life’.

The defence, John Kearney, said: ‘The reason for wanting to leave the country included something your honour doesn’t know, because he didn’t want to alienate the jury.

‘That is at the time last year, it was after the Brexit result and his feelings at the time was there were divisions within his community in Nottingham and he was concerned at the way ordinary people were reacting to ordinary Muslims.

‘So with that background he was looking for a different way of life.’

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He maintained his client was not dangerous and there was no evidence of him expressing any extremist thoughts.

He added he had ‘no intention’ of actually joining the terror group in south east Asia.

Mr Kearney said: ‘He was convicted on the basis that that was what he intended to do, but it’s not something he would have been able to do.

‘The idea of him joining that group, is quite frankly absurd.’

He planned to go to the Philippines (Picture: Jes Aznar/Getty Images)

The leader of Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines publicly declared allegiance to Isis in July 2014, swearing an oath of allegiance to its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Counsell’s interest in the area coincided with a period of time when Abu Sayyaf were in the international media spotlight.

On May 30, he bought a ticket from London Heathrow to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and then on to Zamboanga City, located on Mindanao.

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He also purchased a return ticket five days later in an attempt to cover his tracks.

When his home in Nottingham was raided by police in July last year they found a hoard of extremist material, including the Al Qaeda magazine ‘Inspire’ and Isis publication ‘Dabiq’.

Isis execution videos and documents justifying armed jihad as well as files titled ‘earning money: ways to fund jihad’ and ‘primitive weapons’ were also found.



The court also heard today that when the police came to his door Counsell asked them whether ‘they were counter terrorist police’.

Counsell, of Hyson Green, Nottingham, was found guilty of three counts of possessing a document containing terrorist information and one count of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts.

He will be sentenced later today.