Isil fanatic who threatened PM was given job on Crossrail
Extremist jailed after travelling to Syria had been given job on railway despite terror emails
A BRITISH Isil fanatic arrested in Turkey once emailed the Prime Minister’s office threatening to “wage jihad” before being given a job guarding the Crossrail project, a court heard.
Shamim Ahmed, 24, had also previously threatened to blow up a bookshop for selling the Charlie Hebdo magazine. Ahmed was arrested on Jan 16 this year and admitted engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts. He had been caught on the border between Turkey and Syria trying to cross into territory controlled by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).
He was returned to the UK after Turkish officials arrested him.
At his sentencing hearing yesterday he began wagging his finger and mumbling “kuffar” as he was sentenced before telling a dock officer: “Move the f--- out of my face. I’m going to punch you in the face.” He was sent back to the cells after shouting: “Wage jihad wherever we are… target the civilians, tourist sites, tourist sites, inshallah [God willing].”
He also warned Judge John Bevan QC: “Give me 20 years, I will come out the enemy.”
Ahmed, previously of Shadwell, east London, was later jailed for six years in his absence.
The court was told that in 2015 Ahmed had sent death threats to staff at The French Bookshop in South Kensington with the subheading: “Protect your neck while you are still alive.”
It followed the massacre of 12 people during a raid on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris on Jan 7 2015.
The security guard accused the bookshop of selling Charlie Hebdo, the satirical magazine, “against Muslims” just days after the massacre and said they would face “major retaliation” if they continued to stock it.
He then made two threatening phone calls to the shop, telling the owner: “I’m going to come and stab you, I’m going to come right away and blow up the shop: I’m not afraid of the police, I’m a Muslim.”
Previously in July 2014 he had bought an Isil flag and camouflage gear via his Paypal account and sent the Prime Minister’s office an email titled “terrorist Israel”.
It read: “Something needs to be done to stop Israel or we Muslims will get our revenge.
“We will wage jihad and slaughter every Israeli and their allies.”
The following month Ahmed began working as a security guard on London’s Crossrail project through a security firm.
He sent further threatening emails to the Australian government, Ofsted and a Sun journalist, warning: “May the British child-burning soldiers burn in hell... cowards, p--- on their graves.”
Ahmed admitted two charges of sending malicious communications in November 2015 and was given a 20week suspended sentence.
Jailing him yesterday, Judge Bevan said: “He doesn’t approve of democracy, he doesn’t approve of women, and he says democracy is evil and no good.
“So his radicalisation is long-term, if not particularly sophisticated.
“He lied his head off to the probation service and police. His views show no sign of calming down, he’s a long-term follower of jihad.”