Muslim convert ‘plotted to mow down hundreds on Oxford Street’
‘Swore oath of allegiance’
A MUSLIM convert is accused of being inspired by Islamic State to try to mow down hundreds of pedestrians in London.
Lewis Ludlow, 26, is suspected of targeting Oxford Street and tourist landmarks including Madame Tussauds in a lone-wolf attack.
The former Royal Mail worker was arrested two weeks ago at the home he shares with his family in Rochester, Kent. Police claim they acted after receiving information Ludlow had sworn an oath of allegiance to IS.
He appeared before Westminster justices yesterday and was warned he could be jailed for life. Asked to stand for the chief magistrate, Ludlow refused and told the courtroom: ‘I’m not allowed to stand for anyone but God.’
Mark Dawson, prosecuting, said investigators believe he was groomed over the internet by a shadowy recruiter.
He said the main allegation focused on ‘a large- scale, multiple-casualty, vehicle- borne assault, perhaps in the Oxford Street area of London’.
Ludlow was prevented from flying to the Philippines in February where police believe he wanted to reach an area controlled by Islamic State fanatics.
The court was told he is accused of trying to fund terrorism under the guise of an antiques firm.
A second charge accuses him of setting up a Facebook account to illicitly transfer money.
In the third and most serious charge he is accused of plotting an attack on the capital.
The prosecutor said he purchased a phone in another name, wrote out attack plans and took photographs of potential targets. The alleged terrorist researched van rental and London destinations, including Oxford Street and Tussauds.
Ginger-haired Ludlow, wearing a khaki T-shirt, grey tracksuit trousers and a black skull cap, sat nodding with his arms folded during yesterday’s hearing. Flanked by two police officers, he spoke loudly to confirm his name, date of birth, address and nationality. At one point he appeared to pray.
When the charges were read to him he said confidently after each one: ‘I declare myself innocent of that charge.’ Judge Emma Arbuthnot remanded Ludlow in custody and ordered him to appear at the Old Bailey on May 11. There was no application for bail.
Fellow worshippers at a mosque in Chatham, Kent, said Ludlow converted at the age of 17 and had been a regular at Friday prayers.
They said he took the name Ali Hussein and would bring traditional Islamic clothes in a bag to the mosque to change into.
Neighbours of his semi-detached former council house said he worked Christmas shifts at a Royal Mail sorting office. They said he was interested in computers and spent long periods on social media, including Facebook.
Lukasz Pachiarek, 36, said: ‘He was always wearing dark and he always wore a hood. His head was shaved and he had a big beard, so that was pretty Islamic.’
Another neighbour suggested that Ludlow may have had a form of autism that made him impressionable. She said: ‘He changed his appearance. He grew a beard, he was wearing the full gear. He wore a robe.
‘I would see people knock at the door with the gear on, what I call a gown. But then he changed back to normal. He still had a beard.
‘He was a nice boy.’