Teen guilty of plotting to kill soldier

A teenager is facing years behind bars after being found guilty of hatching a plot to behead a British soldier inspired by the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby.

Brusthom Ziamani, 19, was arrested in east London in August last year carrying a 12in (30cm) knife and a hammer in a rucksack, having earlier researched the location of army cadet bases in the south east of the capital.

His Old Bailey trial heard he “reverted” to Islam last year and was arrested after he showed his ex-girlfriend weapons, described Fusilier Rigby’s killer Michael Adebolajo as a “legend”, and told her he would “kill soldiers”.

A jury convicted him of preparing an act of terrorism on or before August 20 last year after deliberating for a day and a half.

The court had heard that Ziamani had fallen in with the Muslim group al-Muhajiroun — or ALM — who gave him money, clothes, and a place to stay after he was kicked out of his home in Camberwell, south London.

He attended their talks in the basement of a halal sweet shop in Whitechapel and bought a black flag to take on their demonstrations, saying “I’m going to rock it everywhere I go in the Kaffirs’ face”.

After just months learning of the Muslim religion, he posted comments on Facebook that he was “willing to die in the cause of Allah” and saying: “Sharia law on its way on our streets. We will implement it, it’s part of our religion.”

At the time he was first arrested last June on an unrelated matter, police found a ripped-up letter in his jeans pocket in which he wrote about mounting an attack on a British soldier and expressed the desire to die a martyr.

But Ziamani denied he was planning a copycat terror atrocity like the murder of Fusilier Rigby.

On the letter, he said: “I was ranting and raging about the situation in Muslim countries which was described in these talks. I did not believe it at all.”

He explained his Facebook postings as an attempt to “fit in” with the ALM group, saying: “I did not believe it. I wanted to fit in with these people because they were giving me places to stay and they did not like moderate Islam.”

He denied he had a terror “tool kit” of a hammer, knife and flag at the time he was arrested last August, saying he needed weapons because he felt threatened after getting out of a credit card theft operation.

And he said the flag was packed just in case he was called to a demonstration at the last minute by text.

The judge adjourned sentencing to March 20 in order to consider all aspects of the case before deciding on Ziamani’s jail term.