British "Mr Fix-it" al Qaeda cyber-recruiter jailed

LONDON (Reuters) - A Briton described by prosecutors as a terrorism "Mr Fix-it" who recruited young people to al Qaeda's ideology over the Internet was jailed for 12 years on Tuesday while one of his accomplices received a 10-year term.

Aabid Hussain Khan and Sultan Muhammad, both 23, were found guilty on Monday of possessing a huge array of articles and information, ranging from extremist propaganda to practical guides on how to make poisons and suicide vests.

Prosecutors said Khan was the ringleader of the cell, calling him a committed and active supporter of al Qaeda.

"Aabid Khan was very much the 'Mr Fix-it' of the group," said Karen Jones, from the Crown Prosecution Service's Counter Terrorism Division.

"He preyed on vulnerable young people and turned them into recruits to his cause, using Internet chat rooms to lure them in then incite them to fight."

One of those he recruited was Hammaad Munshi, 18, who was convicted along with Khan, making him the youngest Briton ever to be found guilty of terrorism crimes, according to the CPS.

He was just 15 when he met Khan and 16 when he was arrested by anti-terrorism detectives when he returned from school.

Blackfriars Crown Court heard that the three men were "facilitators" who provided information on terrorist techniques, training, weapons and explosives.

Police said Khan and Muhammad, both from Bradford, possessed some of the most significant propaganda videos released by al Qaeda. Khan also arranged for those he recruited to travel to Pakistan for terrorism training and "worldwide battle".

"While these men may not have been actively planning acts of terrorism themselves, they sought to incite others for terrorist purposes ..." said Detective Chief Superintendent John Parkinson, head of the Leeds Counter Terrorism Unit.

(Reporting by Michael Holden, Editing by Meg Clothier)