Teen Terror Suspect Caught Sharing ISIS Propaganda Online
19-Year-Old from Kent Pleads Guilty to Terror Charges
A 19-year-old man from Swanley, Kent, has admitted guilt to multiple terrorism offences after a stern crackdown by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command. Leo Walby, born 8 August 2005, appeared at the Old Bailey on 2 April and pleaded guilty to a slew of serious charges.
Six Counts of Terror Material Spreading and Password Snub
- Six counts of disseminating terrorist material, breaking Section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006
- One count of refusing to hand over a password as ordered, violating Section 53 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
How the Met Nabbed the Kent Youth
Walby was arrested on 4 October 2024 during a proactive swoop at his Swanley home. Officers seized multiple digital devices linked to his campaigns spreading extremist Islamist content and Daesh propaganda. Investigators uncovered him running several social media accounts pushing terror material online.
Despite being served a legal notice demanding he reveal a password to a cloud storage account, Walby refused. This led to an extra charge for failing to disclose the password.
Met Commander Issues Stark Warning
“Our investigation found that Walby was sharing various pieces of terrorist material across a number of social media accounts he was controlling. This kind of content can be extremely harmful, so where we identify people like Walby who are responsible for this, then we will take action and he is now facing the very serious consequences of doing this.” — Commander Dominic Murphy, Head of Met’s Counter Terrorism Command
The Met urges anyone spotting extremist content online to report it immediately via www.gov.uk/ACT.
Next Steps: Sentencing Date Set
Walby remains in custody and is due back at the Old Bailey on 9 May for sentencing. The case sends a clear message: spreading terrorist propaganda online will not be tolerated.
