Bangladeshi-born Naa’imur Zakariyah Rahman, 20, planned a “curry mix” of attacks against landmarks in the UK using a suicide belt, bombs, drones, and poison, a court heard.
Rahman, of Finchley, North London, is on trial for plotting to bomb security gates at 10 Downing Street and behead Prime Minister Theresa May.
According to the prosecution, Rahman was “just days away” from launching his terror attack before he was arrested on November 28th, 2017, following a sting operation.
London’s Old Bailey heard Tuesday that the defendant had told an MI5 spy posing as an Islamic State jihadist details of a wider plot against landmarks across the country which he referred to as “Curry mix”, reports Court News.
Jurors heard a recording of Rahman saying: “The main idea which I have, I told this chap from the start will be, if me and a couple of brothers, if you put us in a vest and give us a few straps [guns] and we do a raid on Parliament and kill everyone inside.”
Al-Qaeda Bomb Maker Caught Near Downing Street Had ‘Message’ for UK’s Leaders https://t.co/wtcC1yxfJu
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) June 5, 2018
The jury heard last month that Rahman had allegedly received bomb-making tuition from his uncle, Abu Ayoub, who had travelled to Syria to join Islamic State before being killed in a drone strike.
Prosecutor Mark Heywood, QC had revealed that Rahman developed his plot with the undercover intelligence agent despite being known to Channel – a government deradicalisation scheme for high-risk individuals – since 2015.
However, the defendant told the jury on Tuesday that he had never intended to attack anyone, claiming the MI5 agent had “pressured” him into plotting to commit acts of terror.
He said: “At that point they were just ideas and it was about to become a reality. I did not expect the pressure to come.”
“I did not see myself going all the way. I did not want to go all the way,” Rahman claimed.
In June, three high profile Islamist-inspired terror attacks and plots were being heard in the Old Bailey: this case; that of Taliban bomb maker Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali (who was found guilty), and that of Mohiussunnath Chowdhury who was caught carrying a sword outside Buckingham Palace.
Chowdhury also claimed that he had not intended to commit an act of terror when he swung his sword at two police officers outside of the Queen’s residence yelling “Allahu Akbar” last August, claiming he just wanted to get himself killed.
The jury failed to reach a majority verdict in the case last week, resulting in the jurors being dismissed. The prosecutor is seeking a retrial.
UK jury fails to convict a sword-wielding terrorist. https://t.co/i2peiAyxQh#FridayFeeling
— ACT for America (@ACTforAmerica) June 29, 2018
Rahman is on trial along with alleged co-terror-conspirator Mohammed Aqib Imran, 22, with whom he allegedly planned to commit the terror attacks.
The 20-year-old denies one count of preparing to commit acts of terrorism and one count of intending to assist Imran with terror attacks.
Imran, from Birmingham, denies one count of preparing to commit an act of terrorism and one count of possessing a document likely to be used to prepare an act of terrorism.
The trial continues.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.