A south London man has been jailed after Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London uncovered extremist material on his electronic devices during an airport stop last summer.
Declan George-Candiani, 26, of Streatham, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, 28 November, to 23 months in prison. He will serve an additional year on licence and remain subject to terrorism notification requirements for a decade.
George-Candiani was detained by counter-terrorism officers at Stansted Airport on 13 August 2024. An examination of his mobile phone led to his arrest and a subsequent search of his home, where detectives seized an iPad. Both devices were found to contain terrorist-related documents, including instructions promoting so-called “lone wolf” attacks.
In police interviews, George-Candiani claimed he had begun accessing extremist material after becoming interested in an extreme right-wing group that promoted “traditional Satanism”. He told officers he believed he was in a “possessed mindset”, saying he had made a “pact with the devil” and describing himself as a “minion”. He also said he had developed an “unhealthy obsession” with the ideology that he felt had “overpowered” him.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: “This is another example of why ‘schedule 7’ powers at our ports and borders are so important in helping us to identify potential terrorist activity.
“In this case, analysis of digital devices revealed downloads of horrific material promoted by extreme right-wing terrorist groups, as well as extremely dangerous material about carrying out attacks and other acts of extreme violence."
Prosecutors argued that his behaviour demonstrated a clear and deliberate interest in extreme right-wing ideology, and that he had intentionally sought out and downloaded the material.
Following a trial at the Old Bailey, he was convicted on 3 October of two counts of collecting material likely to be useful to a terrorist, contrary to Section 58(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000. He was acquitted of two additional counts.
Authorities emphasised the importance of public vigilance. Members of the public are urged to report suspicious activity to police, either by approaching an officer directly, calling the confidential hotline on 0800 789 321, or submitting a report via gov.uk/ACT. Photo by Cnyborg, Wikimedia commons.