A “reckless” father, who brandished a decommissioned AK-47 assault rifle as he threatened to “blow away” the English Defence League (EDL) in an “inflammatory” video, has been jailed for 27 months.

The footage of Habeeb Khan in his lounge in Birmingham was posted on 6 August, in the course of the top of the civil unrest this summer time.

It was extensively shared by the far-right on social media, attracting 1.4 million views on an excessive right-wing account on X, the town’s crown courtroom heard on Monday.

Between 30 July and seven August, about 29 anti-immigration demonstrations and riots happened throughout 27 cities and cities within the UK. Many of those have been violent, with folks attacking mosques and accommodations housing asylum seekers.

Passing sentence on Monday, Decide Melbourne Inman KC known as Khan “very reckless” as he “precipitated a message to be despatched on X” at a time of “extraordinarily heightened social stress”.

The defendant stated the video had been posted by a good friend who he didn’t need to identify.

Khan, a married father, pleaded responsible at a earlier listening to to creating threats of demise or severe hurt opposite to the On-line Security Act.

He additionally admitted threatening behaviour regarding homophobic and abusive feedback made after he was taken to hospital by police on the day of his arrest.

In a clip performed in courtroom, Khan put {a magazine} within the weapon and stated: “EDL we’re coming to f****** blow you away you m*************.”

Different elements of the video, through which threats have been made to the ex-leader of the now-defunct group, Tommy Robinson, weren’t performed on the sentencing listening to.

In accordance with prosecutor Laurie Scott, the “inflammatory” video was shared by quite a few accounts on X, together with by one with a message saying of Khan: “Probably the most severe risk to protesters all over the place. This Muslim has an computerized assault rifle and says he is coming for the EDL. All mosques want raiding now.”

‘T-shirt in video discovered on washing line’

A T-shirt that Khan was sporting in an 11-second clip from the video was discovered on the washing line of his house in Sparkbrook throughout his arrest on 7 August, two days after severe dysfunction within the Bordesley Inexperienced space, the courtroom heard.

Khan informed officers “all I’ve carried out is make a bit video” earlier than “enjoying up” for a crowd which had gathered.

The prosecution stated the decommissioned rifle, which was recovered by police on 7 August, was incapable of firing stay rounds and was “in impact decorative”.

The decide stated it was certainly one of numerous courtroom instances which arose from the civil unrest that adopted the mass stabbings in Southport on 29 July.

Khan was informed he should serve 40% of his custodial time period earlier than being entitled to be launched on licence.

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Khan ‘genuinely remorseful’

Defence counsel Sunit Sandhu stated Khan had well being issues, together with bipolar dysfunction and cellulitis, and “realises the results of his actions and is genuinely remorseful”.

The courtroom heard Khan has 11 earlier convictions for 15 offences, together with racially aggravated public order offences in 2009 and 2013.

He was additionally jailed for 12 months in 2019 after being convicted of possessing an imitation handgun with intent to trigger worry of violence to a supply driver exterior a pizza store.