BBC's Responsible AI chief previously jailed over immigration offenses, found with al-Qaeda manual

The Jerusalem Post reports that Hicham Yezza, an Algerian national arrested in 2008 after an al-Qaeda training manual was found on his work computer, is now the BBC's principal data scientist for Responsible AI. Yezza was released without charge but later sentenced to nine months in prison for immigration offenses. He is now a British citizen. The article notes his previous anti-Israel social media posts but states no direct link to current magazine content. The Post sought comment from the BBC.

The Jerusalem Post reports that Hicham Yezza, an Algerian national who was arrested in 2008 after an al-Qaeda training manual was found on his work computer at the University of Nottingham, is now the BBC's principal data scientist in the Responsible AI division. Yezza and a colleague, Rizwaan Sabir, were detained for six days under the Terrorism Act 2000 but released without charge. Yezza maintained the document was sent to him for printing. He was later sentenced to nine months in prison for an immigration offense and released after five months. He is now a British citizen. Yezza later founded Ceasefire Magazine and worked as an editorial consultant for Al Jazeera before joining the BBC in 2021. The article notes his previous anti-Israel social media posts but states no direct link to current magazine content. The Post sought comment from the BBC.