Teen 'put detective in chokehold' in police interview

A man assaulted a detective constable during a police interview and put him in a chokehold as he shouted "Allahu Akbar", a court has heard.

Architecture student Muhammad Zakir Arif, 18, from Bury, lunged at the officer as he was questioned on suspicion of being involved in terrorism offences.

He had been arrested the day before on 6 February when he was stopped in a taxi and was found with a Zombie-style knife and a machete in his rucksack.

Prosecutor Joe Allman told Manchester Crown Court that Arif made comments associated with radical Islamism during his arrest and at the subsequent interview.

He said Arif put up a "significant struggle" when arrested as he kicked out at officers.

He went on to say: "I only had those in my bag because I like weapons, I wasn’t going to do anything."

When interviewed the following day by counter-terrorism officers he said: "I just want to say one thing…” and then spontaneously jumped from his chair, Mr Allman said.

Arif shouted, "Dawlat al Islam baqiyah" which translates as "the Islamic State is remaining", and repeatedly punched the detective to the head and body, the court was told.

The defendant was forced into a corner but managed to place the detective into a headlock and squeezed his neck before other officers rushed to help him.

Mr Arif also refused to give police the access codes to two recovered iPhones which had been requested on grounds of national security.

He claimed "uncovered" images of his wife were on the devices, but the Crown noted he was not in fact married.

Mr Arif, of Harrington Close, was on bail at the time of his arrest after he was convicted months earlier of two robberies and an attempted robbery in January 2023.

One of the robberies against a 17-year-old boy was committed at knifepoint and filmed on a mobile phone by an associate, the court was told.

In July, Arif pleaded guilty to assaulting the detective causing actual bodily harm and intentionally strangling him.

He also admitted two counts of possessing a bladed article in a public place and two counts of failing to comply with a statutory notice issued under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Arif was not charged with any terrorism offences.

He was sentenced to two and a half years custody at a young offender institution for the knifepoint robbery which Judge Patrick Field KC described as an "appalling and deplorable incident" in which he chased his victim and made him beg for forgiveness.

Arif received a six-month consecutive custodial term for the "wholly unprovoked" assault on the police officer and was handed concurrent sentences for the remaining offences.

In mitigation the court heard that Arif had been "struggling with his mental health for some time" but that various character references had been provided which referred to the "positive relationship" he enjoyed with his "supportive family".

He has continued to refuse to hand over the access codes to the two mobile phones.

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