From bright student to extremist
ALI Harbi Ali once dreamed of becoming a doctor and saving lives – but he was turned into a ruthless killer by extremist propaganda on the internet.
Born in south London in 1996, his father was a former Somali government official.
Ali then moved ten miles to a terraced house in Croydon.
He attended the local Minster Junior School, where his younger brother and two sisters also went. It was a Christian establishment where he enjoyed singing hymns.
The future terrorist assassin was a clever boy and his family were proud when he revealed he wanted to study medicine. A member of staff said: “They were happy at a Christian school and took part in our regular worship.
“Ali was a hard-working child, good at maths. We had plenty of naughty boys but he wasn’t one of them.”
He later attended the Riddlesdown Collegiate school in nearby Purley and was expected to go on to university.
But by the time he reached the sixth form, Ali was in the thrall of extreme Islamist propaganda. He calmly recalled: “My life had taken a different direction.”
In 2014, a teacher referred Ali to Prevent, the Government programme aimed at stopping people becoming radicalised.
Police questioned him and booked him to meet a Home Office official. Ali attended but kept quiet.
His two laptops and four mobile phones showed he had viewed extreme Isis material.
Ali wanted to go to Syria and take part in the Uprising but he told the court he was put off by the number of British-based terror suspects intercepted by police.
Instead, he answered the call from Isis leaders to act as a lone wolf and commit an atrocity.
Ali bought an 8in kitchen knife from Argos for £20 and hid the weapon for six years while he plotted to kill MPs.