1 APRIL 2016 • 12:57PM
Adelivery driver has been convicted of Isil’s first plot to kill US soldiers on British soil.
Junead Khan planned to ram his van in to a US military vehicle outside one of their UK airbases before attacking the occupants in a Lee Rigby-style terror attack.
Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (Isil) directly encouraged the plan and Khan was in contact with notorious British jihadist Junaid Hussain in Syria.
Hussain sent Khan, 25, instructions on how to make a bomb and discussed his plans online before he was killed in a US drone strike in August last year.
The plot led to a review of security at US and British military bases and advice to personnel to be more aware and vigilant when outside a base.
It is the first time an Islamist fanatic has planned to target US troops on British soil.
Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Metropolitan Police counter terrorism command, said: : “What he was going to do, was take a knife, probably take the flags with him, without a doubt the pressure cooker bomb, he would have crashed in to a military vehicle somewhere in the east of England, which contained a US soldier would have then attacked that soldier in what he described as a Lee Rigby style attack with a knife.
“if the police had intervened either before during or after the attack on the US solider, he would have detonated the bomb and committed suicide.”
Junead Khan planned to ram his van in to a US military vehicle outside one of their UK airbases before attacking the occupants in a Lee Rigby-style terror attack.
Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (Isil) directly encouraged the plan and Khan was in contact with notorious British jihadist Junaid Hussain in Syria.
Hussain sent Khan, 25, instructions on how to make a bomb and discussed his plans online before he was killed in a US drone strike in August last year.
The plot led to a review of security at US and British military bases and advice to personnel to be more aware and vigilant when outside a base.
It is the first time an Islamist fanatic has planned to target US troops on British soil.
Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Metropolitan Police counter terrorism command, said: : “What he was going to do, was take a knife, probably take the flags with him, without a doubt the pressure cooker bomb, he would have crashed in to a military vehicle somewhere in the east of England, which contained a US soldier would have then attacked that soldier in what he described as a Lee Rigby style attack with a knife.
“if the police had intervened either before during or after the attack on the US solider, he would have detonated the bomb and committed suicide.”
Khan planned to murder US airmen outside their UK bases at either RAF Mildenhall or RAF Lakenheath, which are both in Suffolk and used by the US Air Force.
He planned to drive his delivery van in to one of their vehicles then attack the injured servicemen with a knife.
He also planned to blow himself or others up with a homemade pressure cooker bomb when anyone tried to intervene.
He had stolen a US flag and a Union Jack which he is likely to have displayed or burnt at the scene of his atrocity.
He had used his job at a medical supplies deliveryman to carry out “opportunistic hostile reconnaissance” of the military bases.
He had ordered a large hunting knife online and downloaded instructions on how to make a bomb, Kingston Crown Court was told.
He had originally planned to go to Syria to join Isil along with his uncle Shazib Khan but in May last year suddenly changed his mind and began plotting an attack in the UK.
At the time Khan, from Luton, worked for TRG Logistics as a contracted driver delivering pharmaceuticals goods for Alliance Healthcare.
His routes regularly passed the two US air bases.
He planned to drive his delivery van in to one of their vehicles then attack the injured servicemen with a knife.
He also planned to blow himself or others up with a homemade pressure cooker bomb when anyone tried to intervene.
He had stolen a US flag and a Union Jack which he is likely to have displayed or burnt at the scene of his atrocity.
He had used his job at a medical supplies deliveryman to carry out “opportunistic hostile reconnaissance” of the military bases.
He had ordered a large hunting knife online and downloaded instructions on how to make a bomb, Kingston Crown Court was told.
He had originally planned to go to Syria to join Isil along with his uncle Shazib Khan but in May last year suddenly changed his mind and began plotting an attack in the UK.
At the time Khan, from Luton, worked for TRG Logistics as a contracted driver delivering pharmaceuticals goods for Alliance Healthcare.
His routes regularly passed the two US air bases.
In conversations with Hussain, Khan was adamant he was going to target American military and told him: “When I saw US, these soldiers on road it just looked simple but I had nothing on me or would’ve got into an accident with them and made them get out the car.”
Mr Haydon said: “He saw the opportunity at one stage to kill a US soldier but he did not have the equipment with him, he did not have the knife or the bomb.”
Shazib Khan, 23, also from Luton, was not involved in the terror plot but was convicted of planning to travel to Syria to join Isil.
Junead Kahn was convicted of a similar charge.
Police had tried to stop Junead Khan becoming radicalised and made several approaches through the Prevent programme, the Government’s counter-radicalisation initiative.
Mr Haydon said: “He saw the opportunity at one stage to kill a US soldier but he did not have the equipment with him, he did not have the knife or the bomb.”
Shazib Khan, 23, also from Luton, was not involved in the terror plot but was convicted of planning to travel to Syria to join Isil.
Junead Kahn was convicted of a similar charge.
Police had tried to stop Junead Khan becoming radicalised and made several approaches through the Prevent programme, the Government’s counter-radicalisation initiative.
The referral came after he had attended a number of extremist talks in Luton.
However, he refused to participate and mocked their attempts in online conversations with his uncle.
Mr Haydon said: “Prevent officers tried to engage them on a number of occasions because of concerns around radicalisation and extremism.
“Then we saw a pattern of concerning behaviour where they were self radicalising themselves and had made contact with a Daesh fighter out in Syria to seek direction, advice and guidance on how to join Daesh but also in relation to attack planning.
“But the Prevent Programme needs the individual to engage. It needs a willingness on their part, and he refused. He completely refused to engage.”
Following their arrest, in July last year, police had to scour through 66,000 text messages, social media and email messages and seized 64,000 computer files.
However, he refused to participate and mocked their attempts in online conversations with his uncle.
Mr Haydon said: “Prevent officers tried to engage them on a number of occasions because of concerns around radicalisation and extremism.
“Then we saw a pattern of concerning behaviour where they were self radicalising themselves and had made contact with a Daesh fighter out in Syria to seek direction, advice and guidance on how to join Daesh but also in relation to attack planning.
“But the Prevent Programme needs the individual to engage. It needs a willingness on their part, and he refused. He completely refused to engage.”
Following their arrest, in July last year, police had to scour through 66,000 text messages, social media and email messages and seized 64,000 computer files.
GENIUS
[h=2]Obama warns ISIS 'madmen' aim to 'kill as many innocent people as possible'[/h]
President Barack Obama warned Friday at a summit in Washington that more cooperation is needed to prevent the ISIS terror army's 'madmen' and other extremists from getting a nuclear weapon.
[h=2]Obama warns ISIS 'madmen' aim to 'kill as many innocent people as possible'[/h]
President Barack Obama warned Friday at a summit in Washington that more cooperation is needed to prevent the ISIS terror army's 'madmen' and other extremists from getting a nuclear weapon.
