IS fanatic guilty of training ‘army of children’ for terror attack

A self-styled teacher is facing jail for training an “army of children” for terrorist attacks on 30 targets across London.

Islamic State fanatic Umar Haque, 25, planned to use guns and a car packed with explosives to strike high-profile targets including Big Ben, the “Queen’s Guard” and Westfield shopping centre.

He enlisted helpers at the Ripple Road mosque in Barking, east London, where he secretly groomed children as young as 11 through terrorism role play and exercises.

Haque also played IS propaganda to pupils at the feepaying independent Muslim school Lantern of Knowledge in Leyton, where he taught Islamic studies and PE between April 2015 and January 2016, a court heard.

Eventhoughhehadnoteaching qualifications, Haque had access to 250 youngsters at two London schools and the Ripple Road madrassa over five years and attempted to radicalise 110 of them, police said.

Following a trial at the Old Bailey, Haque was found guilty of planning terror attacks with help from two conspirators.

He was dragged from the dock by officers as he ranted: “You will clearly see Islamic State establish itself in the Arabian peninsula and that droughts will affect Europe and America. You will remember my warning.”

The full background can be reported after prosecutors chose not to seek a retrial on a count of disseminating terrorist publications at the Latern of Knowledge school, on which the jury could not reach a verdict.