This archive report was first published on 13 December 2019.
Former Liverpool FC WAG Convicted of Funding Terrorism ¶
On December 13, 2019, Amaani Noor, the ex-girlfriend of Liverpool footballer Sheyi Ojo, was convicted of funding terrorism at Liverpool Crown Court.
Noor, 21, had been accused of sending $45.51 to a Paypal account linked to The Merciful Hands, an Islamist group, on May 23, 2018.
Prosecutor Diana Wilson told the jury that Noor knew or had reasonable cause to suspect that the money would be used to support people fighting against the Syrian government for a political, religious, or ideological cause.
Noor had been introduced to Merciful Hands by Victoria Webster, who had earlier pleaded guilty to funding terrorism.
Webster sent a message to Noor on the day the money was sent, suggesting that they should help the family of a foreign fighter who had fallen on hard times.
Noor had also expressed her support for violent jihad in messages on social media app Telegram and had married a jihadi fighter online, telling him it was her dream to join him in war-torn Syria.
During the trial, Noor claimed that she had been planning to go and join her husband in Syria, where he said he was an independent fighter, and that she wanted to be with him more.
However, the jury rejected her explanation that she only intended the money to be used for humanitarian aid, and instead found her guilty of funding terrorism.
