Man convicted of plotting terror attack had ordered ‘large sword’ online

Man convicted of plotting terror attack had ordered ‘large sword’ online.

Sahayb Aweys Munye Abu, 27, of east London, ordered weapons, equipment and clothing online in preparation for an attack while visiting websites with Daesh material and sharing his extremist views with people online.

However, MI5 and the Met Police were actively investigating Abu.

He was arrested during a proactive armed police operation carried out after he ordered a large sword online that he was planning to use in his attack.

Commander Richard Smith, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Every day, counter-terrorism teams are identifying and targeting individuals and groups with violent, extremist views and those with terrorist intent.

“They gather the intelligence and evidence we need to identify those who pose a threat, so that we can stop their activity, bring them to justice and protect the public from harm.”

Abu was found guilty of preparation of terrorist acts (contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006), by a 11-1 majority verdict after a trial at the Old Bailey which started on Tuesday, February 9.

He is due to be sentenced on April 9.

Following an operation by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and MI5, a man has been found guilty of planning a terror attack in London.

He bought a large sword and a ballistic vest after months of browsing websites with extremist content.

➡️ https://t.co/r3s0MT8e4z pic.twitter.com/yuCRqoGgyX

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 17, 2021

The police investigation started in March 2020 due to concerns about Abu’s extremist mindset.

In May and June 2020 over several weeks, Abu made enquiries about and purchased a number of items that gave investigators cause for further concern – a lock knife, a ballistic vest, two balaclavas, fingerless gloves, a camo-print fisherman’s hat with face and neck cover, and finally a large sword.

During the course of the investigation, an undercover officer met and befriended Abu online and they met in person on two occasions. During their conversations, Abu spoke about obtaining firearms.

Abu was arrested on 9 July during an armed policing operation.

His electronic devices were seized and analysed and officers found dozens of messages, including video and voice messages, where Abu recited lyrics which reflected his extremist views.

In one song, he refers to himself as a “straight ISIS supporter”, talks about “heads rolling on the ground”, and says “got my suicide vest, one click boom and I’ll see you later.”

On the day of his arrest, he posted a message in a chat group saying “we need a 9/11 2.0” – referring to the terrorist attack on World Trade Centre in 2001.

His internet search and browsing history also showed that he visited websites about Daesh, and accessed and downloaded Daesh propaganda and other extremist content.

When interviewed by police, Abu denied any intention to commit a terrorist attack and said the items he had purchased were for display purposes and for use in parody “drill” music videos.

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