Prince George ‘target of terror plot at school’
Future king’s photo was distributed on messaging service, along with chilling hint that ‘school starts early’
A terror suspect encouraged extremists to attack Prince George at school, warning that “even the Royal family will not be left alone”, a court was told. Husnain Rashid “distributed a picture of the future king – and gave the address of the Prince’s school, with the hint ‘school starts early’.”
A TERROR suspect encouraged extremists to attack Prince George at school, warning that “even the Royal family will not be left alone”, a court heard yesterday.
Westminster magistrates were told that Husnain Rashid used an encrypted message service to send out a picture of the future king beside an image of an Isil fighter – and gave the address of the Prince’s school, with the hint “school starts early”. The 31-year-old also supplied practical assistance to would-be terrorists, including information on potential targets such as sports stadiums, the court heard.
Rashid appeared at the court in Westminster yesterday and pleaded not guilty to preparing acts of terrorism and not guilty to preparing to assist others to commit terrorist acts.
Rebecca Mundy, prosecuting, said the charges related to “two sets of conduct” on or before Nov 22.
The first related to “his intention to travel to Syria, to engage in the fighting”. The second, she said, “alleges this defendant has set up a number of channels on which he broadcasts material to assist terrorists.
“They actively provide practical assistance and the intention is the readers will go on to commit acts of terrorism.”
The channels included “terror resources, guides, videos and more for the lone mujahideen”. Rashid provided a link to “all stadiums in the UK”, the hearing was told.
Ms Mundy added: “A post, which we in this country will find particularly worrying, was a photograph of the young Prince George at the beginning of his school term, next to a silhouette of a jihadi fighter. Next to that was a caption, ‘school starts early’. It provides an address in Battersea for a school to which the young prince attends.”
The court heard that next to the photo was the caption: “Even the Royal family will not be left alone.” Rashid, of Nelson, Lancs, was remanded in custody and will appear at the Old Bailey on Dec 20.
The Prince attends the independent Thomas’s Battersea, where annual fees
‘A post, which we in this country will find worrying, was a photograph of the young Prince George’
are around £18,000. The school educates 560 boys and girls aged from four to 13, with about 20 pupils in each class.
According to the Good Schools Guide, it is “a big, busy, slightly chaotic school for cosmopolitan parents who want their children to have the best English education money can buy. That is what they want and, to a large degree, that is what they get.”
In October, a 40-year-old woman accepted a caution for causing a nuisance after she entered the school just days after the Prince started there in September. Louise Chantry was arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary after gaining access to the school.
After the case, Scotland Yard said it was working with the school “on protective security arrangements for His Royal Highness”.
Arrangements reportedly include plain-clothes police officers around the school, as well as CCTV cameras fitted with facial recognition technology and an electronic entrance system controlling reinforced glass doors.