A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to seven years in custody for his involvement in a terror attack plot targeting the Isle of Wight Festival
A teen appeared at Kingston Crown Court in southwest London after he obtained a weapon as part of his terror attack plans - police have warned how terrorist groups target those who are ’extremely vulnerable’
A teenage Muslim convert who planned to target the Isle of Wight Festival for a terror attack has been detained for seven years.
The boy, who was 15 at the time, searched up weapons, and stab vests and left a note for his family to say that any of his actions were caused by his distaste for non-believers. Police discovered that he managed to secure a knife by July 2022 but dropped the festival plot because he didn’t drive.
Kingston Crown Court heard during the trial that the now 16-year-old, who cannot be named due to his age, was aiming to knife his work colleagues at a specialist education provider instead. Jurors were told about the earlier signs of his alarming behaviour which included a teacher spotting Osama Bin Laden as his phone wallpaper.
He was found to have searched phrases including “gun Isle of Wight”, “fast lorry”, “how many people are going to Isle of Wight fest”, “Isle of Wight Festival gate” and “Isle of Wight Festival gate names” during the planning stages. He also spoke about his ideas with others online as he received messages such as: “I heard you were going to attack the festival, is this true?”
Police said his ideology was influenced by the terrorist group Daesh (also known as the so-called Islamic State). A handwritten note to his family in the event anything happened to him, which said whatever he did would be driven by hatred of non-believers, was found after his arrest, jurors were told. He is also said to have tried to convert his grandmother to Islam in the note.
His plans were eventually foiled by the FBI, who alerted UK counter-terror police to a user of the messaging app Discord who was plotting an attack on July 11 2022. The teenager converted to Islam in late 2021, and five tutors who worked with him became concerned about his developing beliefs. The court previously heard the defendant is autistic but “bright, articulate and capable of exchanging ideas with others”.
One tutor noticed the defendant had the picture of Osama bin Laden on his phone screen for around a year and a half before his arrest, but was not too concerned as he “was often trying to shock people with what he said”. The same tutor also said the defendant told him he had become involved in an online anti-gay group “with Muslims in it” before his conversion.
Staff had considered referring him to the Government’s Prevent anti-radicalisation programme but the teenager became angry when he heard about this, jurors were told. Rossano Scamardella KC, defending, said: “The Isle of Wight Festival came and went, he was a boy who couldn’t drive, who had no access to a car, and we say the fact that the festival came and went must be relevant to the issue of culpability.”
He has now been sentenced to seven years’ detention with a one-year period of extended licence at the same court after he was convicted of one count of preparing acts of terrorism, three counts of disseminating terrorist publications and one count of possessing a knife in public.
He asked the court to distinguish between “obsessive research and genuine preparation for acts of terrorism”. Mrs Justice McGowan sentenced the defendant to seven years’ detention with a one-year period of extended licence, as well as a 10-year notification period on Monday.
She said: “You are still young and you have a number of conditions which make it hard for you to think through the consequences. You are intelligent and you have the potential to make something good with your life.” She added: “You thought about killing two people who had offended you and your religion but both had tried to help you. The insults made you feel that you were entitled to punish them.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright, head of Thames Valley Police’s Counter Terrorism Policing South East, said: “We know that terrorist groups use their toxic rhetoric to try to exploit vulnerable people. This case was particularly concerning because a teenager had gone so far as taking active steps to prepare for an attack. Thanks to a swift response we were able to stop him, and he has now been sentenced to imprisonment as a result of his actions.
“Where we can, we really do prefer to intervene early and divert young people away from extremism long before it gets to this point. So if you are worried that someone you know is being drawn down a path of extremism, please do act by telling someone. There is support and advice available through ACT Early and Action Counters Terrorism.”
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