YouTube has terminated two channels linked to “pick-up artist” Adnan Ahmed, 38, who last month was convicted of threatening and abusive behavior toward women.
One channel, Addy A-Game, was run by Ahmed, and the other, Street Attraction, was run by the pick-up artist coaches who originally trained him in the ways of the so-called “game” of picking up women. Both channels garnered police attention after they were featured in an investigation by the BBC, which in part chronicled how Ahmed had uploaded YouTube videos containing footage of himself approaching numerous women in Glasgow, Scotland, and Eastern Europe. Some of the videos contained audio recordings of Ahmed having sex with women he’d picked up, the BBC reports.
Multiple women testified at Ahmed’s trial, including two who said they were ages 16 and 17 when Ahmed stopped them in the street and made them feel uncomfortable, complimenting their appearances and asking them a series of personal questions, including why they weren’t at school and whether they had boyfriends. When they attempted to walk from him, he requested their phone numbers and tried to convince them to get coffee with them. Another woman described how Ahmed followed her through Glasgow, then tried to physically force her into a kiss. A third said Ahmed made her feel “uncomfortable” and “intimidated” when he approached her on the street. After she refused his advances, Ahmed found her on Instagram and messaged her, calling her a racist for turning him down, she said.
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Ahmed, who reportedly describes himself as a dating and lifestyle coach, insisted the footage he posted on YouTube was educational, meant to teach other men his “game” tactics. He also claimed the footage (including recordings of women having sex with him) was taken and posted with women’s permission, per the BBC.
The BBC’s investigation, which aired in January of this year, followed reporter Myles Bonnar as he went undercover and attended one of Street Attraction’s camps for men who want to learn pick-up artist techniques for things like overcoming “last-minute resistance.”
When the investigation aired, Ahmed told the outlet, “The allegations are false. It’s just a bunch of guys talking to a bunch of girls. If the female declines to speaking, the male has to respect that and leave.”
Ahmed was convicted on five counts in Glasgow Sheriff Court and is currently awaiting sentencing.
About removing Ahmed and Street Attraction’s channels, YouTube told the BBC, “YouTube strictly prohibits explicit sexual, graphic, or harassing content. Nothing is more important than protecting the safety of our community, and we will continue to review and refine our policies in this area.”
In addition to YouTube deleting Ahmed’s channel because it contained sexual and harassing content, it is YouTube’s policy to terminate channels if a creator is convicted of a crime, and their YouTube content is directly related to that crime. In recent months, it’s deleted channels belonging to Austin Jones, who was convicted of coercing underage fans to send him lewd images of themselves, and to Ian Rylett, who owned the tween-oriented SevenAwesomeKids network and pleaded guilty to abusing one of the channel’s stars.
