Young Leeds terrorist pledged support for ISIS and shared gruesome beheading videos
A Leeds man who shared sickening beheading videos online and pledged his allegiance to the terrorist group, ISIS, has been jailed.
Cameron Gloria De Almeida told others that he wanted to join the group, that he was ready to move to an Islamic country and that martyrs go the “highest level of heaven”.
Even after his arrest, the 22-year-old even daubed on his cell wall “Islamic State is remaining”.
De Almeida, of Garnet Place, Beeston, was handed a five-year jail sentence at Leeds Crown Court this morning after admitting five counts of transmitting content of terrorist publications.
Despite pleading guilty, he continued to claim he was only learning about Islam, wished to know why ISIS exists and was interested in the sickening videos from an “intellectual point of view”.
A Newton Hearing was held on Monday in which De Almeida gave evidence and was cross examined.
The sickening videos that De Almeida had shared, depicting people being beheaded and shot dead, were screened to the court.
The judge, the Recorder of Leeds Guy Kearl KC eventually rejected his claims that he was only interested in learning about ISIS.
He pointed to De Almeida’s clear support for Sharia Law - an extreme interpretation of Islam - and his “evasiveness” when quizzed about wanting to join ISIS.
He said that De Almeida had written that he “hates disbelievers with a passion” and that ISIS were simply the victims of propaganda.
He added that De Almeida had also sought to hide his conversations online, across many different social-media platforms, and that he could provide no explanation to the court as to why.
Recorder Kearl concluded he did so, along with using encrypted communications, to avoid detection.
De Almeida was arrested on March 1, 2025, as part of an intelligence-led operation in which a residential property in Leeds was also searched.
An analysis of his devices found he had been sending and receiving the terrorism publications in late February.
In addition to the terrorism offences, he also admitted conspiracy to rob, having been part of a Leeds gang that attempted to steal from Argos.
Their plan was to order high-value goods, then rob the drivers when they were being delivered, before claiming back the money they paid.
De Almeida was responsible for buying the machetes and the phones for the robberies. But the farcical plan backfired when the gang got the delivery times wrong.
Overall, he was handed a four-year jail sentence, with a one-year extended licence period, making a total of five years.
Detective Chief Superintended James Dunkerley is the head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East. He said: “Sharing terrorist publications is a serious offence and the impact of doing so is not restricted to the online space.
“All too often we see the real-world implications of individuals who have been influenced by such material or even motivated to take part in terrorist acts or activity.
“The court recognised the significance of De Almeida’s conduct, ruling it was anything but reckless.
“He knew the potential implications of his actions but foolishly believed he could hide behind a cloud-based storage account known for its robust privacy measures. The custodial sentence he has received today proves otherwise.
“I’d urge the public to support us in removing harmful online content. If you come across material which promotes terrorism, extreme views, or hatred, please report it in confidence.”