A 19-year-old from Southall has been jailed for four years and six months after being found guilty of stalking two teenage girls and a female teacher, as well as possessing terrorist material. Dihan Rahman downloaded guides on how to build bombs and accessed content linked to terrorist ideologies and Islamist material.
Stalking and Harassment
The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation after Rahman was accused of stalking and threatening two teenage girls. He had wanted to date one of the girls, but she rejected him. Between February and June 2024, Rahman bombarded her with messages on social media. In May, he posted images of the venue for the school prom and a photograph of a German Nazi soldier in a forest holding a gun. Rahman then proceeded to harass another girl in a similar manner. He also made several malicious complaints about a teacher.
Arrest and Charges
Rahman was arrested in November 2024 after detectives discovered he had posted details of the two girls and the female teacher online, suggesting they were involved in a conspiracy against him. He was remanded in custody and pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of indecent images and three counts of stalking. Additionally, during the second day of his trial at the Old Bailey in February 2025, he pleaded guilty to three charges of possession of documents likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.
Sentencing
On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, Rahman was sentenced to four years and six months in prison. He must serve two-thirds of this term in custody before being eligible for release on licence.
Police Response
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, commented: “This case is yet another example of a growing and concerning trend of young people being drawn into extremist, violent and terrorist ideologies - principally from what they are exposed to and consuming online. Rahman’s actions towards his victims – two of whom were teenage girls - were completely unacceptable and I want to praise their incredible courage and resilience throughout this whole ordeal. I would also like to praise the actions of Rahman’s teachers, who contacted police with their concerns, which enabled us to intervene and investigate when we did. With the threat level now raised to severe, everyone can play their part to keep themselves and their communities safe. If you see or hear anything that doesn’t look or feel right, then please report it to us. Your information could help us save lives.”
