A 21-year-old man from Willesden has been jailed after police found a bomb-making guide and a large collection of extreme right-wing terrorist material on his mobile phone, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command.
Vitor Dias, born on March 4, 2003, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on April 24 to three years in prison. He was also made subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
The investigation into Dias began after officers from the Wembley Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Unit raided his home on May 17, 2022, in connection with a separate online child abuse case. Although he was not initially arrested, officers seized two mobile phones and uncovered a significant cache of extremist content.
Materials Included Bomb-Making and Firearms Guides
Analysis of the devices revealed documents containing instructions on how to build explosives, firearms, and ammunition. Dias was arrested on September 8, 2022, and later charged with four counts of possessing documents useful for terrorist purposes under the Terrorism Act 2000.
He pleaded guilty to the terrorism charges at the Old Bailey on August 5, 2024.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said:
“This case demonstrates that we will arrest and prosecute anyone accessing terrorist material. I am grateful to the colleagues in the Wembley Child Exploitation unit whose work led to the discovery of Dias’s wider offending.”
“It also highlights how risk management tools placed on the devices of convicted sexual offenders can be an effective way to uncover further criminal activity.”
Parallel Child Abuse Investigation
A parallel investigation led by PC Merima Salkovic from the North West BCU JIGSAW team resulted in Dias being charged with:
- Two counts of possessing extreme pornographic images
- One count of making an indecent photograph of a child (Category B)
- One count of making an indecent photograph of a child (Category C)
Dias pleaded guilty to the first three charges at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on December 17, 2024. The final charge remains on file.
He had previously been convicted on March 31, 2023, for similar offences, including the making and possession of prohibited images of children. He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years and managed under an earlier SHPO issued by the Wembley JIGSAW Unit.
Safeguarding and Ongoing Vigilance
The Met Police said Dias’s case underscores the importance of inter-unit cooperation in identifying and mitigating threats to public safety — from terrorism to child exploitation.
If you have concerns about someone viewing or sharing extremist content or abuse images, you can report it to police online or by calling 101. In an emergency, always dial 999.
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