Nut-Job

In one sense this deluded 'nutjob' is patently insane given his ridiculous views and beliefs, but as an otherwise functioning human being Brusthom Ziamani he clearly understands right from wrong, as did Anders Breivik and Charles Manson who both went on to commit terrible crimes.

So I hope Ziamani is sent to prison for a very long time and well done to his ex-girlfriend for blowing the whistle and alerting the authorities.

Muslim convert arrested on his way to behead British soldier


A court sketch of Brusthom Ziamani - Elizabeth Cook

By John Simpson - The Times

A teenage Muslim convert who idolised the killers of Fusilier Lee Rigby was arrested in the street on his way to behead a soldier, a jury was told.

Brusthom Ziamani, 19, was arrested in east London with a 12-inch knife, a “pick-style” hammer and a black Islamic flag after researching locations for military barracks and army cadet training centres, the Old Bailey heard today.

Mr Ziamani was arrested hours after showing the weapons to an ex-girlfriend and telling her he planned to emulate his “hero”, Michael Adebolajo, and telling her “me and the brothers are planning a terrorist attack”.

The defendant, from a Christian family, had been arrested and bailed six months earlier after police searching an address found a five-page letter to his parents in which he promised to wage war on the government.

In the letter, shown to the jury, he apologised to his parents for the stress he had previously caused them, he said he hoped to be martyred and wrote: “British soldiers [sic] heads will be removed and burned u cannot deafet the muslims.”

He said that because he could not reach Syria and neighbouring countries he would “wage war against the British government on this soil”. He said he represented ISIB, the Islamic State of Ireland and Britain.

He went on to address Muslims more broadly: “Borthers pick up your swords gins [sic guns] bombs take off there limbs we should do a 9/11 and 7/7 and Woolwich all in one day … don’t try n feel sorry for them this is 2 ALL muslims fight dz people n be a mujahid may Allah give us victory.”

At interview, he told officers that he wanted to join Islamic State fighters in Syria and praised radical preachers such as Anwar al-Awlaki, Abu Hamza and Anjem Choudary.

His Facebook account, under the name Mujahid Karim, variously featured calls for sharia in the UK, calls for others to fight jihad, and antisemitism, including praise for Hitler. In one post he wrote that he was “willing to die in the cause of Allah”.

After his first arrest he was entered into the government’s counterterrorism scheme, Prevent, but his online activity showed that even as he met Prevent engagement officers his Facebook activity was becoming increasingly radical, the trial heard.

On one occasion in June he left a meeting with his Prevent officers and posted an image of machine gun-toting men waving a flag with a quote from the Koran beneath: “Fight them: Allah will punish them by your hands and will disgrace them and give you victory over them.”

Annabel Darlow, for the prosecution, told the jury: “It is the case for the crown that this defendant, in the spring and summer of 2014, began preparing for the commission of an act of terrorism. Mr Ziamani reverted to Islam in the spring of 2014 and very swiftly he became radicalised.

“His hatred of non-believers, his extreme beliefs and interest in violent jihad began to crystallise into a plan to attack a member of the British military forces.

“He researched, as you will hear, the locations of military bases and specifically researched the locations of army cadets in southeast London.

“His idols were two men, who in May 2013, had notoriously murdered Lee Rigby, a young soldier.”

On the day he was arrested he had insisted on visiting an ex-girlfriend in person to tell her his plans, the court heard.

He arrived at her home at 7am and was invited in and told her that the plan was “basically to kill soldiers”, Ms Darlow said.

When his former girlfriend, who cannot be named for legal reasons, asked if the plan was similar to the murder of Lee Rigby, Mr Ziamani told her it was, the barrister added.

The court then heard that after being charged and remanded in custody, Mr Ziamani told a prison officer: “I was on my way to kill a British soldier at an army barracks. I was going to behead the soldier and hold his head in the air so my friend could take a photograph.”

Mr Ziamani denies one count of preparing for a terrorist act in August last year.

The trial continues.