Man trained army of children for terror attacks

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 roleplay.

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

Even though he had no teaching qualifications, Haque had access to 250 youngsters at two east 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, pictured right by a court artist, was found guilty by a jury of planning terror attacks with help from two conspirators after 27 hours and 22 minutes.

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, on which the jury could not reach a verdict. Commander Dean Haydon, of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Haque’s plans were ambitious, long-term but aspirational.

“His aim was to create an army of children to assist with more terrorist attacks throughout London.

“It was apparent he was in the early stages of this long-term attack plan at multiple sites using multiple weapons and assisted by children he had radicalised.”

Mr Haydon said “crucial work” was ongoing to safeguard 35 children affected by Haque’s indoctrination, which had left them “almost paralysed with fear”.

After officers broke their “wall of silence”, parents at the £3,000-a-year Lantern of Knowledge school were “horrified”.

In bugged conversations with his conspirators, he talked about being inspired by the Westminster Bridge atrocity in March last year.

Haque said: “We are here to cause terror, my brother. We are a death squad sent by Allah and his messengers to avenge my Arab brothers’ blood ...” Giving evidence, Haque proclaimed his support for IS but said he was only “pondering” hypothetical attacks. Abuthaher Mamun, 19, and Muhammad Abid, 27, were convicted of helping Haque. The alleged armourer Nadeem Patel, 26, who had previously pleaded guilty to possessing a handgun, was acquitted of plotting with Haque. The four will be sentenced at a later date.