Daily Mail

Jailed for 30 years, fanatic who plotted to behead PM

He scouted Downing Street in bid to copy Manchester Arena killer

- By Stephen Wright Associate News Editor

AN ISLAMIC State terrorist who plotted to behead Theresa May was jailed for at least 30 years yesterday.

Naa’imur Rahman, who was inspired by extremist YouTube preachers, wanted to avenge the death of his terrorist uncle.

The 21-year-old planned to storm 10 Downing Street with a knife, pepper spray and a gun after detonating explosives at the gates.

But he was ensnared by officers from the Metropolit­an Police, the FBI and MI5 who had provided him with a fake suicide jacket.

Three of Rahman’s uncles were terrorists and shortly before his plot he had dropped out of the government’s Prevent programme, which is designed to stop at-risk people becoming radicalise­d.

As he made final preparatio­ns for his murder mission, he pledged allegiance to Islamic State and revealed his hatred of Westerners and the British government while speaking to MI5 and FBI agents posing as IS commanders. After admitting his plan to kill the Prime Minister, spies fitted him with fake explosive devices. Rahman believed they were real and planned to set them off in Whitehall, where CCTV showed him on a scouting mission.

Jailing him for life, with a recommenda­tion that he serve at least 30 years, Mr Justice Charles HaddonCave told the Old Bailey that Rahman planned to cause carnage, with Mrs May the ultimate target.

‘I am sure Rahman believed the devices to be real and capable of the most serious harm,’ said the judge. ‘He was told and believed that the rucksack bomb would be capable of causing casualties on a scale comparable to those caused at the Manchester Arena to police officers, bystanders and tourists in and around the entrance to Downing Street.

‘He was told and believed that the suicide vest within his jacket would be capable of creating a lethal area of ten metres to his front, with some degree of lethality to the rear.

‘Both devices were expertly constructe­d and indistingu­ishable from the real thing.’

The judge told Rahman: ‘Let me say the same to you as I have said to other similar offenders who have come before this court recently. You will have plenty of time to study the Koran in prison in the years to come.

‘You should understand that the Koran is a book of peace; Islam is a religion of peace.’ He described Rahman as a very dangerous individual and said it would be difficult to predict when, if ever, he would cease being a danger.

Rahman’s uncle Musadiqur Rohaman went to fight for Islamic State in Syria in 2014 and was killed in a drone strike in June last year.

Two other uncles, Mohammed Iqbal Hussain, 28, and Mohammed Suyaubur Rohaman, 35, were arrested in January 2016 and later jailed for sending

‘Expertly constructe­d’

£10,000 to Musadiqur. The pair, who ran a dry cleaners in Walsall, sold his £4,000 BMW car and £1,200 worth of gold jewellery on eBay while also trying to raise money through his wife’s wedding dress.

Rahman was referred to Prevent in October 2015 because his mother was concerned about his growing extremism.

He later told undercover officers that he had been radicalise­d by the British preachers Mizanur Rahman and Abu Waleed on YouTube. His engagement with the Prevent programme was described in court as ‘problemati­c and intermitte­nt’.

He had only one meeting, accompanie­d by his mother, and then avoided any follow-up as he moved with her from Birmingham to London.

She was trying to escape their extremist relatives.

Rahman told undercover agents he had been developing his attack plans for two years, plotting a ‘multi-faceted attack in which he envisioned he would die as a martyr’.

The jihadist, from Finchley, north London, was convicted by a jury in July of preparing to commit terrorist acts.

A 15-year-old appeared at the Old Bailey yesterday accused of making an explosive substance.

The boy, who cannot be named but is from Bradford, is alleged to have made a pair of ‘carbon dioxide canisters, drilled and clipped together’.

When asked his nationalit­y, he answered: ‘British, white.’

Mr Justice Haddon- Cave reminded him in custody until his next hearing at Leeds Crown Court in January.

 ??  ?? Mission: The extremist captured on camera in Whitehall
Mission: The extremist captured on camera in Whitehall
 ??  ?? Radicalise­d: Naa’imur Rahman
Radicalise­d: Naa’imur Rahman

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