A 26-year-old police officer has pleaded guilty to two terrorism offences over messages he shared on WhatsApp.

Pc Mohammed Adil, of West Yorkshire Police, admitted two counts of publishing an image in support of the banned organisation Hamas, namely a Hamas fighter wearing a Hamas headband, at Westminster magistrates’ court on Thursday morning.

Pc Adil, of Bradford, was given conditional bail until his sentencing on June 4 at the same court.

The alleged offences relate to messages shared on WhatsApp between October and November last year.

The first charge against Pc Adil, stated that on Oc 31, he published an image of a Hamas headband on WhatsApp, in “such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion” that he was a “member or supporter of a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas”.

The second charge related to the publication of an image of a Hamas headband on Nov 4.

That day, in central London, thousands of protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Since the Oct 7 attacks, police have arrested and charged a number of people across the country for showing support for Hamas.