A judge praised the 'brave' mother who told the police her son had gone to Syria 'to do jihad' as he jailed two childhood friends for more than 12 years for joining an Al-Qaeda linked group.

Mohammed Nahin Ahmed and Yusuf Zubair Sarwar, both 22, from Birmingham, fled to the war-torn country in May last year after contacting Islamic extremists online.

Today Sarwar's mother was given credit for alerting the authorities after her son left a note saying he was going to Syria and told her the Taliban and Al Qaeda 'are not bad'.

Jailed: Best friends Nahin Ahmed (left) and Yusuf Zubair Sarwar, both 22, fled Britain for Syria to 'do jihad'. They took pictures of themselves with guns that police found in their luggage

Woolwich Crown Court heard the pair ordered books Islam For Dummies, The Koran For Dummies and Arabic For Dummies from Amazon ahead of their trip.

Ahmed also told his childhood friend Sarwar: 'I cannot tell anyone I'm going to do jihad. Lol. I'll get arrested' just before they left Birmingham and joined rebels in Aleppo.

The men were arrested on their return to the UK in January and pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorism acts contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act.

They were sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court in London today to 12 years and eight months in prison with an extended licence period of five years.

JIHADIST LEFT NOTE FOR MOTHER BEFORE FLEEING UK FOR SYRIA Sarwar left a scribbled letter for his mother when he fled for Syria, but she went to the police who intercepted him and his friend Ahmed when they flew back to Britain eight months later. It read: 'Make sure you don't get any authority involved its (sic) a kuffar (infidel) government. 'I will try to intercede for you but don't rely on my intercession for if Allah allows me to intercede make sure to perfect yourselfs (sic). 'Make sure to keep me in your dua (prayers) as I am doing the best deed in Allahs eyes in'shaa' Allah. 'I will be going to Sumya (Syria) Ash sham which I will help the oppressed and fight Allahs enemies there. 'Taliban, Al Quada (sic) etc are not bad the West portrays them as bad. 'The group I will be joining is Kataib Al Muhajireen which is part of Al Nusra. In 'shaa' Allah 'WE WOULD STAND UP AND NEVER WOULD LET ALLAHS RELIGION BE DEMONISED' Advertisement

Judge Michael Topolski QC said: 'They willingly, enthusiastically and with a great deal of purpose, persistence and determination embarked on a course intended to commit acts of terrorism.'

After eight months fighting in Syria they were arrested on their return to Heathrow Airport in January because their worried families tipped off counter-terrorism detectives.

Before he left Sarwar had left a note for his mother arguing going 'to do jihad' in Syria was 'doing the best deed in Allah's eyes' and said the Taliban and Al Qaeda 'are not bad', so she went to the police.

The judge said they believed in 'violent Islamist extremism' and praised the 'extraordinarily brave' mother who reported her son to the police.

Prosecutor Brian Altman QC said: 'Without the mother's actions, the police would not have been in a position to be waiting for the men on their return.'

The judge said they had made a careful plan 'to join the ranks of the Islamist forces', adding 'before travelling, you both went to some trouble to fabricate cover-stories'.

The judge said both men 'intended to be martyred on the battlefield in Syria' and plotted 'to attack Assad's forces, with the obvious risk that these intended attacks may have resulted in both military and civilian losses'.

He also discussed a note written from Sarwar to his mother, which hailed the Taliban.

'Its contents provide an insight into the true purpose of your journey.

'This was not a spontaneous response to travel to a humanitarian crisis. Without any doubt, it shows you were travelling to Syria intent on jihad'.

Yusuf Zubair Sarwar (left) and Mohammed Nahin Ahmed, both 22, from Birmingham, fled to the war-torn country in May last year after contacting Islamic extremists online

Reference books: The pair bought Islam for Dummies, The Koran for dummies and Arabic for Dummies from Amazon ahead of their Syria trip, where they spent eight months fighting in Aleppo

He said the sentences were designed to 'punish, deter and incapacitate' and 'both of these defendants are fundamentalists who became interested in and then deeply committed to violent extremism'.

He said he could not be sure the defendants planned to launch attacks in Britain, but noted 'the retention of the disk, containing detailed instructions of how to make an IED, is a deeply disturbing feature'.

He handed both men a jail term of 12 years and 8 months, to be followed by five years on extended license. They will be also be subject to counter-terror notification requirements for 30 years.

The court heard the men fled to Syria claiming it was a university trip elsewhere but after returning to Britain they told officers they had been doing humanitarian work but a camera containing 'thousands' of images, including some of them posing with guns on the front line, was found in their luggage.

Traces of 'military-grade explosives', including TNT and nitro-glycerine were on the men's clothes and trainers.

Sarwar's family reported him missing to police in May last year after they found a hand-written letter from him in which said he had left to join a terrorist group called Kataib al Muhajireen (KaM) - later renamed Kateeba al-Kawthar - 'to do jihad'.

Family: Sarwar left a scribbled letter for his mother when he fled for Syria, but she went to the police who intercepted him and his friend Ahmed when they flew back to Britain eight months later

Ruse: The pair said they were travelling to Turkey as part of a two-week trip organised by Birmingham City University (pictured at Heathrow) but they then went on to Syria

Officers also found social media and email conversations between the pair and Islamic extremists.

Over Skype, Ahmed talked to a Swedish national who was fighting with KaM.

He told the fighter: 'I come to join KaM,' to which the Swede replies: 'Inshallah (God willing)'.

Ahmed later asked a Danish Islamic extremist: 'Would the brothers in Yemen accept me?'

The families of both men had put pressure on them to return to the UK once they discovered where they were.

Days earlier he had told his family he was travelling to Turkey as part of a two-week trip organised by Birmingham City University, where he was a part-time computer science student.

It prompted a search of the men's homes, which revealed an online conversation between Ahmed and a Swedish national fighting with the KaM, during which Ahmed said he wanted to join the terrorist group.

West Midlands Police said the men showed the mind-set to go and join the jihad in Syria, before carrying out research, buying equipment, and finally travelling their via Turkey.

Ahmed, who was born in Bangladesh, moved to Britain as a child, while Sarwar, who is of Pakistani descent, was born in Britain.