Muslim soldiers are dismissed from the Army after sharing graphic helmet-cam videos of murdered victims after Hamas October 7 attacks

Daily Mail​

19 hours ago

Two Muslim British Army soldiers shared graphic helmet-cam videos of murdered and desecrated dead bodies after the Hamas October 7 attacks, a court martial heard.
Signaller Zakariya Munir and Signaller Mohammed Salah sent on 'grossly offensive' videos capturing the horrific aftermath of the atrocities the day after they took place.
The servicemen claimed 'you won't see this in the media' as they shared clips of corpses being kicked and montages of 'dead civilians lying in pools of blood'.
The clips were believed to have been filmed from Hamas terrorists after they carried out the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The pair also shared another 'exceptionally violent piece of footage' showing an execution carried out by ISIS extremists.
The court martial was told Sig Munir found the videos of the ' war crimes ' and mutilated bodies in the Middle East and sent them to colleague Sig Salah.
The soldiers exchanged messages about the content, with Sig Munir telling Sig Salah that they would not be shown in the media. Young father Sig Salah then sent them on to other service personnel.
Now, the pair of soldiers have both been dismissed from the Army.
Bulford Military Court, in Wiltshire, was told Sig Salah's phone was investigated and they were both charged.
Sig Munir was charged with four counts of sending offensive messages on a public network. Sig Salah was charged with three counts.
Both soldiers, from the 10th Signal Regiment, denied the offences but were convicted by court martial.
Sig Munir and Sig Salah had served in the armed forces since 2021 and 2019 respectively.
Sig Salah has a three-month old son with his wife.
October 7, 2023, saw Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups launch coordinated attacks from the Gaza Strip into Israel.
It was the first invasion into Israel since the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Around 2,800 people were killed.
Lieutenant Colonel Felicity Bryson, prosecuting at Bulford Military Court, said: 'The case concerns messages sent by Sig Munir to Sig Salah and then sent to other personnel.
'They depicted real scenes of brutality during the October Hamas attacks.
'On October 8 Sig Munir said he had a video of the attack and that they won't be shown in the media.
'The video was taken from a head cam from the perspective of an irregular fighter.
'They show faces and bodies of corpses being searched and being kicked by the cameraman.
'Sig Munir asked whether he wanted to see another one, saying it was a bit graphic though.
'He asked whether he was on Telegram, saying it was all on there.
'Sig Munir sent a video showing montages of soldiers in barracks interspersed with dead civilians lying in pools of blood.
'He later sent a video of a group of young men shoving and urinating on elderly men who had their heads bagged and hands tied.'
One of the videos was an ISIS execution, it was heard.
Lt Col Bryson said: 'On October 31 Sig Munir sent a video of a group of men with a group of detainees kneeling behind them.
'Each stepped forward and executed them with a single gun shot. It was an exceptionally violent piece of footage. Sig Salah did not send this footage on.
'Sig Salah's phone was later explored and an investigation was launched.'
Fiona Edington, defending for Sig Munir, said: 'He is a young and naive soldier who has become susceptible to peer pressure.
'His Colonel said he is a developing soldier who made a mistake and is showing clear signs of learning. He has a lot to offer to the British Army.'
James Hay, defending for Sig Salah, said: 'Sig Salah suffers from extreme anxiety. His arrest led to instances of vomiting and hyperventilating.
'His priority is now the welfare of his wife and young son.'
Judge Advocate General Alan Large dismissed both soldiers.
Judge Large said: 'You sent messages to each other about the October 7 attacks. There is nothing sinister about that.
'However you then contacted him with videos saying 'You won't see this in the media'.
'This all happened in the context of events that were globally important. You sent these grossly offensive videos in the immediate aftermath of these events.
'The videos showed bodies that had been violated and it is highly likely that they were taken by those who had committed murder and war crimes.
'The last video actually showed people being murdered.
'You were both serving members of the British Army and when you sign up for that there are certain values that you must adhere to.
'There were plenty of opportunities for you to seek advice but you decided to distribute the videos. You must have realised that these videos could have been distributed further.'