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Anzac Day terror plot likely to have resulted in deaths, court told Anzac Day terror plot was days from success, court hears
(about 4 hours later)
An Anzac Day terror attack in Australia plotted by a 14-year-old boy from his UK bedroom would “in all probability” have resulted in a number of deaths had it not been thwarted, a court has heard. A 14-year-old British boy who planned an Anzac Day “massacre” in Australia came within days of seeing his terror plot succeed, a court has heard.
The teenager, now 15, from Blackburn, Lancashire, was radicalised by Islamic State propaganda on the internet and was said to be determined that police officers would be beheaded at a parade on 25 April. The youngster, from Blackburn, Lancashire, was radicalised by Islamic State propaganda, the court was told, after finding an online jihadi community through his first smartphone. The network “filled a void” caused by problems at school and at home as well as a degenerative eye condition.
In July, the boy – thought to be Britain’s youngest terrorist – pleaded guilty to inciting terrorism overseas. Within two weeks of setting up a Twitter account, the boy had 24,000 followers as he constructed a fantasy image of himself and “quickly became a celebrity” within the jihadi Twitter community.
Outlining the case at the start of a two-day sentencing hearing at Manchester crown court on Thursday, the prosecutor Paul Greaney QC said: “In short, from the bedroom of his parents’ suburban home the defendant plotted an attack upon an Anzac Day parade in Melbourne. Thought to be the UK’s youngest terrorist, he plotted an attack on an Anzac Day memorial parade in Melbourne in April from the bedroom of his parents’ suburban home.
“He did so with an alleged Australian jihadi named Sevdet Besim, who we suggest used the online name Illyas. Their plot was developed over the internet and the intention was that police officers should be murdered by beheading.” Over nine days in March this year he took on the role of “organiser and adviser” to an alleged Australian jihadi named Sevdet Besim in a bid to murder police officers by beheading, Manchester crown court heard on Thursday.
Greaney said it was clear that the purpose of the proposed attack was to promote the ideology and agenda of Isis. “It is clear that he had been radicalised by Isis propaganda accessed by him over the internet and the evidence establishes that the contact with his Australian collaborator was instigated by a well-known Isis recruiter and propagandist named Abu Khaled al-Cambodi, himself an Australian, who has promoted the idea of terrorist attacks in his homeland. His contact with Besim – during which more than 3,000 encrypted messages were exchanged – was instigated by a well-known Isis recruiter and propagandist named Abu Khaled al-Cambodi, also Australian, who has promoted the idea of terrorist attacks in his homeland, said the crown.
“There is no doubt that there was a determination on the part of the defendant and Sevdet Besim that the plot should be carried through and the contact between the two included frequent references to the production of a martyrdom video by Besim for Cambodi which, no doubt, Cambodi intended to use for propaganda purposes. Paul Greaney QC, prosecuting, told the boy’s sentencing hearing: “There is no doubt that there was a determination on the part of the defendant and Sevdet Besim that the plot should be carried through and the contact between the two included frequent references to the production of a martyrdom video by Besim for al-Cambodi which, no doubt, al-Cambodi intended to use for propaganda purposes.
“In the event, fortunately, the authorities here and in Australia intervened and a plot that would in all probability have resulted in a number of deaths was thwarted.”“In the event, fortunately, the authorities here and in Australia intervened and a plot that would in all probability have resulted in a number of deaths was thwarted.”
The prosecutor detailed the background of the defendant and said that in the period leading up to his offending his family circumstances “appear to have been difficult”. His parents were said to have separated. Within hours of first making contact the pair determined that the attack was to take place in Australia and discussed targeting police officers, said Greaney. In the early hours of 18 March, Besim suggested an attack on Anzac Day, the court heard.
From the age of 12 he was “undoubtedly a troubled young person” and was excluded from school on a regular basis for regular abusive and disobedient behaviour, Greaney said. The defendant wrote “Sounds good” and Besim allegedly replied: “Make sure the dogs remember this as well as their fallen ‘heroes’.”
The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was said to have “strong religious convictions” and was disruptive when he attended a large secular school where most of the pupils were white. On one occasion he praised Osama bin Laden and stated his own desire to become a jihadi and a martyr, the court heard. Greaney said: “Shortly after this exchange about Anzac Day, [the defendant] suggested that Besim should ‘break into someone’s house and get your first taste of beheading’.”
The defendant was later referred to the government’s counter-extremism programme Channel after his mother explained to the school that he spent all night on his computer studying foreign affairs and “seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders”. It led to him moving schools but his poor behaviour continued and more exclusions followed, the court was told. On 19 March, the defendant allegedly said to Besim that he was going to present him with three options – a gun attack on the police, a car attack on the police or a knife attack on the police. Besim is said to have expressed a wish for a combination of a car and knife attack.
He threatened a male teacher on “many occasions” and on one date said he would “cut his throat and watch him bleed to death”. Another male teacher logged a comment from the youngster that he was plotting to kill someone, the prosecutor said. Messages discussing the weapons to be used followed and in the early hours of 23 March Besim said he was travelling with a machete, knife, Taser and a Shahada (martyrdom) flag in his car.
The voluntary Channel programme closed his case in July 2014 after the school noted no particular features of radicalisation. There was a second referral to Channel in November 2014, and the boy continued to threaten to kill teachers, telling one that “your time has come” as he referenced terrorism and beheadings. When Besim sent him a photograph of a knife, the defendant replied: “Handle is perfect for tearing through throat.”
In one lesson on the death penalty, alongside the comment “killing another person is immoral”, he had written: “You could not be more wrong.” On 24 March, Besim allegedly messaged the defendant: “So far the plan is to run a cop over on the Anzac parade & then continue to kill a cop then take Ghanimah [booty] and run to Shahadah?”
Greaney said: “In a meeting with officers from the Channel programme he similarly expressed the view that killing could be justified on religious grounds, and to a social worker the same day he described the Charlie Hebdo attackers as his heroes.” The defendant responded: “Ill give orders soon but it’s looking along that line.”
By early March this year, said Greaney, a tipping point had been reached. He said: “The teaching staff at the school were increasingly concerned for their own personal safety and the evidence of [the defendant’s] radicalisation was overwhelming. [The defendant] had disengaged from the Channel process and attempts to divert him from a path of extremism had failed.” The following day the defendant told Besim to make sure he was shot during the attack.
The boy was arrested at his home on the morning of 25 March on suspicion of making threats to kill, and his phone was examined. Besim replied: “I feel like a young kid with a ticket to disney world cant wait ahahah. Yeh I wanna make sure I get shot to. Not b4 I take out at least 1 [sic].”
Greaney went through evidence of the boy’s social media contact with other extremists around the world. He said: “And so, putting [the defendant’s] behaviour at school together with his activities over the internet, a clear picture emerges of a young person who was, by March 2015, thoroughly and dangerously radicalised and committed to Isis and the idea of violent jihad, and who was, moreover, wired into the Isis network.” Hours later the defendant was under arrest and his phone in the possession of the police after concerns had been raised about his extremist behaviour at school, where classmates had nicknamed him “the terrorist”.
The hearing continues. On 15 April, Besim allegedly conducted further internet research on the Anzac Day parade, including in relation to a particular road.
Three days later – a week before the parade – Besim was arrested and found to be in possession of a knife, the court heard.
Knives and a large Shahada flag were recovered from his home, with a phone that contained a martyrdom message.
Greaney said: “The position of the prosecution is that a major terrorist plot in its late stages, orchestrated from the north of England but to be carried out in Melbourne, had been thwarted.”
The court heard that the defendant had told a psychiatrist in custody that he was convinced that if the police had not disrupted his activities “a massacre would have occurred”, which means he “would become notorious”.
James Pickup QC, representing the defendant, questioned the prosecution argument that his client was the driving influence behind the plans. He said the Australian was already radicalised and fully aware of jihadi ideology.
Pickup said: “It is apparent that [the defendant] provided no more than emotional support, guidance to a limited degree, to someone who was well versed in the preparation of terrorist attacks.”
The smartly dressed and bespectacled teenager, now 15, watched the proceedings from the dock, flanked by his parents. His mother cried when the court discussed possible sentencing terms.
The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty in July to inciting terrorism overseas.
Mr Justice Saunders will sentence him on Friday.