Jihadi fiend recruited kids as he plotted evil acts of carnage
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A SELF-styled jihadi teacher faces years in jail after training an army of children to carry out murderous attacks.
Islamic State fanatic Umar Haque plotted to use guns and a car packed with explosives to cause carnage at a string of landmarks across the capital.
These included high-profile targets such as Big Ben and the Queen’s Guard. In the months before his arrest, he bragged about recruiting children to his killer cause.
Bugged conversations with co-conspirators heard Haque say he had been inspired by the Westminster Bridge attack last March which left four dead. He said: “We are here to cause terror my brother.” The fake teacher secretly groomed 110 children as young as 11 at Ripple Road mosque in Barking, east London.
He was also charged with playing an extremist Isis video to pupils at Lantern of Knowledge school in Leyton, where he took Islamic studies and PE. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on this count.
After being convicted of preparing acts of terrorism at the Old Bailey yesterday, the 25-year-old raged: “You will see Islamic State establish itself in the Arabian peninsula.”
Commander Dean Haydon, of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, claimed work was still going on to safeguard 35 children suffering from Haque’s indoctrination.
Handgun
He said: “His plan was to create an army of children to assist with more terrorist attacks in London.”
Haque’s handwritten hitlist also included Transport for London hubs, City banks, Heathrow Airport and Parliament.
Abuthaher Mamun, 19, and Muhammad Abid, 27, were both convicted of helping Haque.
Nadeem Patel, 26 – who had previously admitted possessing a handgun – was cleared of helping the terror fiend.
Fundraiser Mamun assisted with attack planning and set about making money to finance the operation, while Abid knew what Haque was planning and gave his support.
Patel was sentenced to 16 months in jail but is set to be released after serving eight months on remand.
An NSPCC spokesman said: “The case demonstrates how people who are intent on carrying out acts of terrorism often use fear and intimidation to push their ideologies on to children.”
The jury could not reach a verdict on a charge of disseminating terror publications. The defendants will be sentenced at a later date.