Perth Youth Jailed for ISIS Videos Receives No De-radicalisation in Prison
A young Perth man imprisoned for posting Islamic State beheading videos online is not undergoing any de-radicalisation programs while behind bars. This alarming situation has emerged as authorities grapple with mounting concerns about rising instances of homegrown extremism across Western Australia.
Disturbing Online Activities
Muhammad Ayman Al-Hassan Hoolash was just 18 years old in June 2024 when counterterrorism authorities discovered he was transmitting ultra-violent content to Islamic State-aligned Telegram chat groups. The young man served as an administrator for one public group with 105 members, where he promoted killing various groups including Russians, Jews, and Christians in Syria.
Hoolash also posted vile material to his Instagram account, making references to "getting 13 year-old Yazidis slaves," "wanting a 15 year-old bride," and "shooting pregnant women in the stomach." His online activities represented some of the most disturbing content authorities have encountered in recent years.
Historic Sentencing and Current Status
In March last year, Hoolash became the first person in Australia to be jailed under Commonwealth counterterrorism laws covering social media use. District Court Judge Belinda Lonsdale sentenced him to three years imprisonment, noting his use of "highly offensive terms to describe persons of other races" and references to wanting to "rape, kill, and immolate women, Jews, and children."
While Hoolash will be eligible for parole in May, his release will ultimately be decided by Commonwealth Attorney-General Michelle Rowland. Her spokesman emphasized that "there is a very high threshold that must be met for a person who has been convicted of terrorism offences to be granted parole" and that "the safety of the community is the Government's highest priority."
Lack of Rehabilitation Programs
During a recent appeal hearing against his sentence length, defence barrister Steven Whybrow revealed that Hoolash has not undergone any de-radicalisation programs while incarcerated. "There has not been any courses available to him — and will not — while he's in the special handling unit," Whybrow told the full bench of the Court of Appeal.
This revelation creates what Whybrow described as "a bit of a catch-22" situation. Despite Judge Lonsdale's hope that "community corrections does everything that it can to provide you with treatment whilst you are in prison," the reality appears quite different for this particular offender.
Broader Context of Extremism in WA
The case emerges against a backdrop of increasing extremist activity in Western Australia. Recently, Bindoon man Jayson Joseph Michaels, 20, became the first person in WA to be arrested and charged with preparing a terrorist attack, accused of plotting a "mass casualty" event.
On Australia Day, Warwick man Liam Alexander Hall, 32, allegedly hurled an improvised grenade into about 2500 demonstrators in Forrest Chase, becoming the first person charged in WA with engaging in a terrorist attack. Additionally, a 16-year-old boy was shot dead by police in Willetton in 2024 after stabbing a stranger in a Bunnings carpark, despite being two years into a de-radicalisation program.
Expert Analysis and Concerns
Ben Rich, director of the Curtin Extremism Research Network, warned that authorities face an uphill battle against extremism, with abhorrent content readily accessible to increasingly disenfranchised youth. "Kids will find a way to access this stuff," Rich said. "For every one that ends up in court, there will be at least 999 lads looking at it."
Rich emphasized that algorithms continue serving extremist content, making vulnerable individuals "angrier and angrier." He noted that "you have a cohort of people radicalising faster and faster, and it's getting harder and harder to pick up" these cases before they escalate.
Defence Arguments and Judicial Response
Hoolash's defence team argued that their client began viewing extremist material around age seven but was very immature and "not necessarily a religious extremist." Whybrow contended that Hoolash "distributed extremist material, but not intending or seeking to incite violence," describing it as "a very unsophisticated barracking in a cool-being-tough way."
Chief Justice Peter Quinlan responded that unsophisticated people were "exactly the type of people ISIS want to recruit," noting that "there was an active interest in ISIS, an active interest in violence." Justice Joshua Thomson added that such crimes were "quite an insidious and important thing to eradicate" because they "normalise the violence" and prepare viewers to accept such acts as commonplace.
Content Details and Sentencing Debate
The execution videos Hoolash posted depicted victims being shot and having their throats cut, with one victim having his head crushed by a large rock. Whybrow argued against the sentence length by claiming Judge Lonsdale erred in "conflating the seriousness of the material with the seriousness of the offence."
The defence barrister noted "toxic masculinity" coursing through his client's online remarks, which included references to making Shia boys "rape their mothers before burning them alive." Alarmingly, this "manosphere" phenomenon has gone mainstream, embraced not just by radical Islam and followers of social media misogynist Andrew Tate, but also by white nationalists.
Systemic Challenges and Policy Responses
Rich warned against knee-jerk policy responses by politicians wanting to be seen as taking action. Instead, he advocated for "whole of community vigilance" and deeper examination of why younger generations feel disconnected from society, including issues like the housing crisis. "This is not just something we consign to the government to deal with," Rich emphasized. "The solutions to all these problems aren't more laws."
Regarding Hoolash specifically, Rich noted that de-radicalisation programs inside prisons require inmate consent and cannot be forced upon prisoners. "He seems exactly like the guy you would want to offer a pathway while they're serving time," Rich said. "And if he wasn't offered it, why not?"
Political Responses and Future Implications
The office of Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia declined to comment on program offers to Hoolash, deferring to departmental responses. A Department of Justice spokeswoman stated that commenting on individual cases or matters before the court could not be provided, but noted generally that "Corrective Services delivers a range of programs and interventions to address offending needs" including "intervention related to violent extremism."
Shadow Corrective Services Minister Adam Hort expressed concern that "if such offenders didn't undergo programs in prison, they would leave posing the same threat to our community that put them behind bars in the first place."
The Court of Appeal judges have reserved their decision on Hoolash's sentence appeal, with Chief Justice Quinlan warning there was actually a possibility the sentence could be increased rather than reduced. This case continues to highlight the complex challenges Australia faces in addressing radicalisation while ensuring community safety remains the paramount concern.
