02 April 2016•Update: 11 April 2016
LONDON
A man has been found guilty on terrorism charges after plotting to kill a U.S. soldier based in Britain.
Junead Khan, 25, a supporter of Daesh, planned to emulate a 2013 terror attack in south London by staging a car crash and attacking an airman with a knife.
A jury heard he used his job as a delivery driver to scout U.S. air bases and believed he had missed an earlier opportunity to attack American personnel.
A text message recovered from Khan’s smartphone after he was arrested read: “When I saw these U.S. soldiers on road [sic] it looked simple but I had nothing on me or would’ve got into an accident with them and made them get out the car.”
During his trial, the court was also shown an image of Khan posing in front of a black Daesh flag plus evidence of Internet searches for bomb-making material.
The jury found Khan guilty of planning a terror attack.
Speaking after the verdict, counter-terrorism police commander Dean Haydon said they had tried to convince Khan to turn away from extremism.
He said: “Junead Khan faces years in prison for the atrocious acts he planned.
“Around a year before his arrest, local officers reached out to him. They offered to help him follow a positive life path. Junead Khan's refusal spiraled into extremism and plotting acts of terrorism.”
Khan will be sentenced in May.
