A man who collected extremist content and used a phone in prison whilst serving a sentence for assaulting a police officer has been jailed again.
Muhammad Zakir Arif (22/12/2005), from Bury, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court today (Friday 24 July 2026) to three years in prison. The judge also ordered that he serve an additional one year on license and be subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order for five years upon release from prison.
Muhammad Zakir Arif was sentenced to three years in prison for terrorism offences
He previously pleaded guilty to:
- Four counts of possession of material of use to a terrorist, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
- Three counts of offences relating to prison security, contrary to Section 40D of the Prisons Act 1952.
During sentencing, His Honour Judge Conrad KC considered the defendants age and early guilty pleas, as well as a previous sentence of three years already served for linked offences. He remarked that, for an adult, the offences would have attracted a sentence in the region of six years in custody.
Passing sentence HHJ Conrad applied a special custodial sentence for offenders of particular concern and commented to the defendant that, based on the information provided in the hearing, “it is clear that you have no desire to rehabilitate”.
Arif was originally jailed for several offences in September 2024 following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW). This included possession of knives, assaulting a police officer during interview, and failing to comply with a Section 49 Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) notice by refusing to provide PIN numbers for his mobile phones.
Detectives who had served the original RIPA notice were subsequently able to access data from Arif’s phone and found multiple files containing extremist content. This included numerous videos released by extremist organisations encouraging “believers” to conduct terrorist attacks and offering advice on how this could be done.
Whilst in prison for the original offences, an inspection of Arif’s cell discovered two hidden mobile phones. He initially claimed the phones weren’t his, however an inspection of one of the phones showed that it had been used by Arif to contact associates outside the prison
Detective Chief Superintendent Jon Chadwick, Head of CTPNW, said: “Muhammad Zakir Arif thought that by refusing to comply with a RIPA notice and provide access to his phone, his extremist activity would remain hidden.
“However, thanks to the detailed work by the investigation team, we were able to access the phone data and discover multiple extremist videos. These videos offered advice and encouragement to individuals considering conducting a terrorist attack. Ultimately, all he achieved by his original refusal to provide access to the phone was more prison time for himself.
“Whilst serving the original prison time, he was found to have two phones in his possession and, despite claiming they weren’t his, he had clearly been in contact with associates. I hope his conviction for that offence sends a clear message to anyone considering using a phone illegally in prison that you will be brought to justice and face even more time in custody.”