Dihan Rahman, a 19-year-old Army Cadet from Uxbridge in west London, is in prison after being sentenced to four years and six months on 6 May 2026 for terrorism offences, stalking two teenage girls and a teacher, and making indecent images of children. Prosecutors described the case as the first known example of an individual combining far-right and violent Islamist ideologies through a shared hatred of Jewish people.

Who Is Dihan Rahman?

Dihan Rahman, 19, is from Uxbridge in west London and was a member of an army cadet unit in Southall at the time of his offending. He presented outwardly as a young man involved in community activities through the cadet programme, but investigators found that from a young age he had been consuming extremist material across a wide range of violent ideologies. His case attracted significant public attention because of the unusual combination of ideological material found on his devices, as well as the serious nature of his terrorism offences.

What Did Dihan Rahman Do?

Rahman’s offending began after a teenage girl he met at the army cadet centre rejected his romantic advances. His conduct towards her and others quickly became criminal. He stalked two teenage girls and a schoolteacher who had tried to protect the girls from his harassment. Counter-terrorism officers who searched his digital devices discovered bomb-making instruction videos on an encrypted drive and a third extremist document on a USB stick. He was also found to have made indecent images of children. Rahman pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to stalking, possession of terrorist bomb-making material, and making indecent images of children.

His Extremist Ideology

Dihan Rahman had accumulated incel material, misogynistic content, pro-ISIS material, and extreme right-wing content. He was the administrator of a far-right group called the Strumjaeger Group on the encrypted messaging app Telegram, and he frequently expressed antisemitic views, including towards one of his victims who had Jewish ancestry. Prosecutors told the court this was the first known UK case where an individual had fused far-right extremism and violent Islamist ideology through a shared antisemitic worldview. He was also found to have taken photographs of himself posing in military clothing while making a Nazi salute and holding a noose. The Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command led the investigation. For more information on remand prisoners and how the system works, see our guide.

Stalking and Threats to Victims

Rahman’s initial messages to the girl who had rejected him were described in court as beginning in a friendly manner before becoming hostile and abusive. The harassment then spread to her friend and subsequently to a teacher who intervened to protect both students. Rahman made threats in the context of the girls’ school prom, which prosecutors described as threatening a shooting. His conduct was accompanied by repeated expressions of violent misogyny, references to mass violence, and antisemitic imagery directed at one of the victims. The victims experienced sustained harassment over a prolonged period before his arrest led to the discovery of the terrorism material on his devices. Internal links to booking a prison visit or sending money to a prisoner may be useful for families of those serving sentences.

Guilty Plea and Sentencing

Rahman pleaded guilty to the charges before the Old Bailey. On 6 May 2026 he was sentenced to four years and six months in prison. The sentence reflected the gravity of the terrorism offences, the stalking campaign against three individuals, and the possession of indecent images of children. His case was treated as a terrorism matter given the nature of the bomb-making material and his extremist affiliations. At the time of sentencing he was 19 years old. He will serve his sentence in the young adult or adult prison estate depending on allocation by the Prison Service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Dihan Rahman in prison?

Dihan Rahman is in prison for terrorism offences, stalking three people including two teenage girls and a teacher, and making indecent images of children. He had bomb-making videos on encrypted devices and was an administrator of a far-right extremist group. He was sentenced on 6 May 2026 to four years and six months.

How long is Dihan Rahman’s sentence?

Dihan Rahman was sentenced to four years and six months in prison at the Old Bailey on 6 May 2026. The sentence covered terrorism offences, stalking, and making indecent images of children.

What extremist ideology did Dihan Rahman follow?

Dihan Rahman held a mixture of extremist ideologies including incel beliefs, misogynistic views, pro-ISIS material, and extreme right-wing far-right content. Prosecutors described his case as the first known UK example of an individual combining far-right and Islamist terrorism ideology through shared antisemitism.

What threats did Dihan Rahman make?

Dihan Rahman made threats in connection with a school prom, which were described in court as threatening a shooting. He had previously made sustained threats and engaged in harassment against two teenage girls after one rejected him at an army cadet centre, and against a teacher who tried to intervene to protect them.

Was Dihan Rahman in the British Army?

Dihan Rahman was a member of an Army Cadet unit based in Southall, west London. Army Cadets are a youth organisation affiliated with the British Army but its members are not serving military personnel. His membership of the cadet unit is how he first came into contact with one of his victims.