Terrorist who planned attacks on tourists ‘plotted with the Streatham knifeman in jail’
A TERRORIST who planned to massacre tourists is feared to have plotted with the Streatham jihadi while they were in jail.
Mohuissunnath Chowdhury, 28, had been cleared of terrorism in 2018 after slashing police with a samurai sword outside Buckingham Palace while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar.’
But yesterday he was found guilty of later plotting attacks at tourist sites including Madame Tussauds.
It emerged last night that ex-Uber driver Chowdhury was held on remand in London’s Belmarsh Prison in 2018 alongside Sudesh Amman, 20, who stabbed two people in Streatham before being shot dead by police on February 2.
Investigators believe the pair may have plotted to kill, with Chowdhury later telling undercover police of his plans with ‘a very young brother’. A source said last night: ‘We know that they associated in jail. We now believe that Chowdhury was referring to Amman when he talked about launching an attack.’
The link is being investigated by police and intelligence agencies. Undercover officers who befriended Chowdhury following his release recorded him saying: ‘There’s a brother I know in prison... Very young brother yeah but he is also on the right path... He’s in there for the same reason as me, but he’s coming out soon.’
Both Amman and London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan, 28 – shot dead in November after killing two people – went on to carry out attacks following their release from Belmarsh.
Police suffered cuts to their hands while wrestling the 4ft samurai sword from Chowdhury in August 2017 after he ploughed his car through traffic cones.
But the chicken shop worker, from Luton, Bedfordshire, was cleared of a terror charge at the Old Bailey in December 2018 when he claimed he wanted to commit ‘suicide by cop’ because he was depressed.
During his time on remand he and Amman were moved to Belmarsh’s ‘jail within a jail’. Chowdhury had drawn a crude sketch of a jihadi fighter gunning down a police officer in Downing Street shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ [God is greatest] which he had hung on the wall of his cell. Another of his sketches depicted the 9/11 attacks in the US. Also in the unit was Ahmed Hassan, 20, whose Tube bomb injured 51 people in Parsons Green in 2017.
Weeks after his release from prison, Chowdhury began posting
Islamic State propaganda online and four undercover officers were deployed to befriend him. He later confessed to one of the officers he was planning an attack with a young jihadi who was soon to be released. Amman was freed on January 23 and carried out the Streatham attack days later.
Like Chowdhury, he was placed under intense surveillance which ultimately prevented him from launching a fatal attack.
Following his release, Chowdhury talked about launching attacks using vehicles, knives and guns at tourist sites including Madame Tussauds and Piccadilly Circus as well as targeting Remembrance Day and Gay Pride.
On June 20 last year he told one undercover officer he had a dream in which he was martyred while fighting alongside a young co-conspirator he met in prison.
Woolwich Crown Court heard he had acquired a replica Glock gun and had been inquiring about obtaining a real one. He booked a firearms training course and practised hand-to-hand combat with two 40-inch wooden Japanese swords. He was recorded practising beheadings with his sister Sneha Chowdhury, 25, who was convicted yesterday of failing to report her brother’s plans to police.
Met Police Commander Richard Smith said: ‘It was very clear to us that it was his intention to kill and maim as many people as possible and he was prepared to die in doing so, believing that would make him a martyr to his cause.’
Chowdhury’s barrister Simon Csoka QC claimed he was a ‘pathetic little man’ who had only made the claims to show off.
But he was found guilty of charges including engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts and disseminating terrorist publications.
He is expected to be sentenced on March 13.