- South Wales extremist wanted to help ISIS encrypt their communications
- He also had missile manuals on a USB device hidden inside cufflinks
- Security services arrested him after raid on another terror suspect in Kenya
- Judge says plot was run from his bedroom as he jails him for eight years
Extremist Samata Ullah has been jailed for putting his hacking skills to the use of ISIS by trying to help them encrypt their messages
A jihadi computer hacker from south Wales who stored military information on James Bond-style USB cufflinks has been jailed for eight years.
Samata Ullah, 34, created a 'one-stop online shop' of information for terrorists from his Cardiff bedroom, in a bid to help ISIS fighters around the world.
It can be revealed today that the unemployed IT expert - a British citizen of Bangladeshi origin - was traced to his bedroom following the arrest of a contact in Kenya who was allegedly planning an anthrax attack.
British counter-terrorism police tracked him down after being passed intelligence by the FBI, who had been handed the information from authorities in Kenya.
Ullah's home was raided last October and the former insurance worker was found with 30 metal cufflinks used to store extremist material.
Judge Gerald Gordon today sentenced Ullah to eight years imprisonment, of which he will serve two thirds behind bars, and a five-year extended licence period.
The judge said: 'He spent effectively all of his time on his own in his bedroom.
'He had taught himself substantial IT skills, the use of which lie at the heart of the prosecution case.'
Ullah became a key member of a group calling itself the 'Cyber Caliphate Army' - a disparate gang of computer experts who specialise in 'hacking and writing death writs'.
One of the USB cufflinks, which Ullah had bought on a Chinese website, had a PDF version book titled 'Guided Missile Fundamentals' and another called 'Advances in Missile Guidance, Control, and Estimation.'
The first was a manual used by the US to train rocket engineers until the 1970s and the second explained the science behind missile guidance systems.
In messages, Ullah said he hoped his 'brothers' in ISIS could use the information to 'learn the basics of rocket design' as part of a plan 'to destroy or jam drones and planes'.
Brian Altman QC, prosecuting, said: 'This defendant represents a new and dangerous breed of terrorist.
'He is a cyber-terrorist who deployed his, not inconsiderable, self-taught information technology skills, to further the cause of terrorism and in particular the cause of ISIS.
'All this he did from the relative safety, or so he thought, of his bedroom in Cardiff.'
Divorced Ullah, who previously held down a job in the pensions department of Legal and General, ran the scheme from the house he used to share with his mother before she moved out.
Another cufflink was loaded with an open-source computer operating system known as Linux, which is popular with computer programmers.
He hoped the programme would allow ISIS fighters to communicate anonymously online to avoid detection.
Ullah also worked on a website which was mainly in English and published 'everything about the Islamic State, fatwa [religious rulings] and articles.'
Ullah was arrested in the street in Cardiff on September 22 last year in order to stop him from deleting material on his computer.
Security services managed to track him down after Kenyan authorities, backed by US law enforcement, arrested a man called Ali Mohammad Abdi.
Abdi's mobile phone revealed an encrypted Telegram chat group which included Ullah among its members.
On a shelf at his home, officers discovered a computer disk with messages from the Cyber Caliphate Army, which helped prove his links to ISIS.
David Cawthorne, prosecuting, told an earlier hearing: 'The primary criminality involves the use of the internet and communication with others, including those involved with Daesh (ISIS).'
Ullah's computer was seized after an arrest of Mohamed Abdi Ali (right), an extremist who was plotting an anthrax attack in Kenya, led security services to his Cardiff home
A psychiatric report on behalf of the defence claimed that Ullah suffers from autism and was not a danger to the public but Brian Altman QC, prosecuting, said the prosecution did not accept that view.
Ullah pleaded guilty to being a member of ISIS, preparing acts of terrorism and providing training in encryption programmes.
However, he denied a charge that he had ' directed the activities of an organisation, namely ISIS,' by directing others to conduct computer hacking of military information and opponents of the group and the charge was ordered to lie on file.
Ullah had been expected to fight the charges but pleaded guilty at a hearing on March 6.
ISIS fighters WERE using Ullah's websites, reveals Met terror chief
Commander Dean Haydon said Ullah was committed to the cause of helping ISIS
Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Met's counter-terrorism command SO15, said of Ullah's plot: 'It is the first time we have seen anything on this scale.
'He was an internet terrorist. He had set up a self-help library for terrorists around the world and they were using his library.
'There was guidance on encryption, ways to avoid detection from police and security services, expert tuition around missile systems and a vast amount of propaganda.
'He was self-taught. He has accessed it online himself and compiled a lot of material and put it into his own library.
'He has created a one-stop shop for terrorists. In my view he was a very dangerous individual although he was operating from his bedroom.
'We have a number of people accessing his library for advice and guidance as I have described.
'Individuals have been arrested in other countries. They never got to the attack planning stage.'
He added: 'We know Daesh were using that material to both seek guidance and instruction.'
Mr Haydon said the use of encryption 'frustrates investigations, whether police or security services, allowing terrorists to operate with impunity on the internet'.
He said the investigation was 'challenging' because it meant a move away from the traditional threats and into the 'virtual world'.
Police seized 30 pairs of cufflinks and uncovered eight terabytes of data
Evidence had to be translated and evaluated and fitted into the current laws with help from technical experts from SO15 and MI5.
One hundred officers were deployed when Ullah was arrested in Cardiff in September last year.
Ullah is a British national who was living alone, having divorced from his wife.
On his behaviour when he was picked up, Mr Haydon said: 'The character in the virtual world is very different from the real world.
'He started off very meek and mild. In the end it dawned on him what trouble he was in. He had a definite thirst for knowledge and was clearly very committed to the cause.'
Ullah was born in Wales and had community ties in Cardiff, although he was described as a solitary character.
The senior officer said the 'vast majority' of Ullah's material had been taken off the net with help from internet providers around the world. Most of the Twitter accounts had also been deleted, he said.
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