Isil would-be suicide attacker ‘plotted to kill Theresa May’

AN ISIL fanatic plotted to assassinate Theresa May in a suicide attack on No10, a court has heard.

Naa’imur Zakariyah Rahman, 20, had been encouraged to cause carnage in Britain by an uncle who had joined Isil and died in a drone strike in Syria.

He allegedly thought he was just days away from inflicting “lethal violence” with a knife and a suicide vest before his arrest last November. But his plan was uncovered by a two-year MI5 surveillance operation, the Old Bailey heard.

Mark Heywood QC, prosecuting, read out a Telegram chat in which Mr Rahman said on Sept 14 last year: “Can you put me in a sleeper cell ASAP? I want to do a suicide bomb on Parliament. I want to attempt to kill Theresa May.” The next day he said: “My objective is to take out my target. Nothing less than the death of the leaders of Parliament.”

Mr Rahman was introduced to another member of the network called Shaq, an undercover police officer, to help him get a knife and suicide vest.

Jurors were shown covert video footage of a meeting in Shaq’s car in a PC World car park in Brixton on Nov 6 last year. In it, Mr Rahman said he would get past the gate and make a “10-second sprint” for the door of No10. He allegedly said his main objective was to “take her head off ”.

Mr Heywood told jurors: “Before his arrest prevented it, he was, he believed, just days away from his objective.” He said Mr Rahman planned a full frontal attack and fully expected to die.

Mr Rahman, from Finchley, north London, denies two counts of preparing terrorist acts. The trial continues.