By Glynn Cosker

Editor, In Homeland Security

Two London-based brothers became the first Britons convicted of attending a terrorist training camp in Syria. The case is a clear indication that the U.K. is taking seriously the threat posed by fighters coming home from conflicts in the Middle East.

Mohommod Hassin Nawaz, 31, was sentenced to four years in jail while his brother, Hamza Nawaz, 23, is looking at three-and-a-half years behind bars. Both men live in the Stratford part of London.

Police found photo evidence on the brothers’ mobile phones that indicated the pair had attended a militant training facility in Latakia, Syria.

The convictions, handed down at the Old Bailey by Judge Christopher Moss, came days after Britain’s Home Secretary (interior minister) Theresa May warned that the nation was facing the largest terrorism threat in its history. May also stated that around 40 major terror plots were foiled in recent years.

Judge Moss told both men during sentencing: “”It is clear from the evidence from mobile phones that you both had been in a camp in Syria used for terrorist training. The evidence shows you were there for jihad, or holy war, and wanted to join an extremist group.”

The U.K.’s Immigration and Security Minister James Brokenshire told reporters: “We welcome the sentence handed down by the courts. This case clearly demonstrates the government’s clear message that people who commit, plan and support acts of terror abroad will face justice when they come back to the U.K.”

The maximum sentence for the brothers’ criminal activity is up to 10 years in jail. Michael Ivers, who defended Hamza in court, argued that the men were not in Syria to train for attacks in the U.K. or elsewhere.

“These young men having gone out there full of ideological recklessness of youth had looked around and found out they have bitten off more than they can chew,” said Ivers.

The Metropolitan Police Service’s Counter-Terrorism Acting Commander Terri Nicholson made a plea to families, stating a wish that young people be prevented from traveling to Syria and other parts of the Middle East.

“The sentence highlights the critical work police and security services carry out to identify individuals returning from conflict zones,” said Nicholson. “This comes at a time when the global concern about the threat posed by returnees is intensifying.”

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