A former British soldier who sent night vision and thermal imaging rifle scopes to support terrorist activity by the Taliban in Afghanistan has been jailed.

Muhammad Choudhary, 41, sent the items to Pakistan on a number of occasions in 2017 and 2018.

He bought 12 thermal imaging rifle scopes from legitimate specialist UK suppliers at a total cost of £31,500, the Old Bailey heard.

He was caught after a joint investigation by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and later admitted they were intended for use by the Taliban, which, at the time, launched various attacks against the then-Government and coalition forces in Afghanistan, the forces said.

On Tuesday, Choudhary, who had pleaded guilty to terrorism funding and fundraising offences, was sentenced to a total of seven years’ imprisonment, with an additional year to be served on an extended licence.

Judge Mark Lucraft KC, during sentencing, said: “From all the evidence, it is clear you knew the money you sent and the thermal imaging rifle scopes you acquired and sent, or tried to send, were intended to be used for the purposes of terrorism, namely by the Taliban in Afghanistan in its conflict with the Afghan government and coalition forces.

“You exported, or tried to export, rifle scopes knowing that you were prohibited from doing so and the contents of the packages containing the scopes were misdescribed no doubt in order to increase the likelihood of their export.

“As a former British soldier, whilst your service in the military was primarily to be engaged in medical duties, you would have been well aware of the capabilities of the scopes and how they were to be deployed.”

Thermal imaging systems help identify objects that emit infrared radiation such as humans while night vision imaging systems help users to see things in low light level conditions.

These systems, which are used by the military to detect targets and aim weapons, can be used as rifle sights by snipers to find and shoot targets both night and day.

The judge said Choudhary had made contact with the overseas organisations by December 2016 and had offered to help them with some money plus small or large weapons from that time.

In January, Choudhary pleaded guilty to a charge of fundraising for the purposes of terrorism, and two charges of making funding arrangements for the purposes of terrorism.

He first came to the attention of HMRC after a seizure of rifle scopes at Heathrow Airport in January 2018 when he was linked to a consignment, which was intended for an address in Pakistan.

Investigators found that Choudhary had bought the sniper sights from legitimate hunting suppliers. He later admitted to HMRC investigators to being in touch with individuals in Pakistan and Afghanistan and that he knew the scopes were for use by Taliban fighters.

Choudhary was then investigated by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and charged in September 2023.

After sentencing, Acting Commander Gareth Rees, of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, described it as “a unique case where Government colleagues identified potential terrorist-related activity and shared information with us”.

He said: “This case is a prime example of how terrorist activity can take many different forms, and shows that we will investigate anyone in the UK who supports terrorist activity, regardless of what it may be in support of or to where it may be linked.”

Mike Pass, assistant director of the fraud investigation service at HMRC, said: “The UK operates a strict licensing regime to uphold international sanctions and to ensure military equipment does not fall into the wrong hands.

“We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure effective controls and enforcement on military goods, which contributes to the UK’s national security.”

The police said Choudhary was also previously charged with 23 offences under the Customs and Excise Management Act (1979). He pleaded not guilty to these offences at a hearing in February, and it was subsequently agreed for these offences to lay on file.