A MAN who claimed to be a terrorist has been jailed for 12 years after an investigation by the Yorkshire-based Counter Terrorism Unit.

Hashem Omran, 55, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday, following a nine week trial, when the jury found him guilty of 13 offences relating to fraud, theft and the proceeds of crime totalling more than £2m.

The North East CTU investigation into Omran started in December 2012, when police discovered he had fraudulently produced a document claiming his assets had been frozen by the government because he was a terrorist with links to Al Qaeda.

Omran, from London, befriended a number of people and sought to illicit money from them by implying the authorities had full control of his bank accounts and finances. He claimed he would repay any funds loaned to him as soon as the sanctions were lifted.

Omran was also involved in other scams in which he claimed to be involved in the sale of previous metals in the Middle East, and financial investigations discovered large gambling debts - but no evidence he had been involved in or funded terrorist activities.

Omran’s co-defendants Brian Hardwick, 77, and Annie Duncan, 61, both from Kent, were also were found guilty of Conspiracy to Defraud, as they used their business to fraudulently acquire £750,000 for Omran. They both received a two year suspended sentence.