A Muslim teacher-terrorist used an Islamic school to train an ‘army’ of jihadi children who he hoped would unleash carnage on the streets of London.
Muslim terrorist Umar Haque, 25, was plotting to use guns and a car packed with explosives to target spots including Big Ben, the Queen’s Guard and Westfield shopping center.
Haque used the Ripple Road mosque in Barking, east London, where he secretly groomed children as young as 11 through terrorism role-play and exercises.
Despite having no teaching qualifications, the Muslim terrorist had access to 250 youngsters at two east London schools and the Ripple Road madrassa over five years.
The 25-year-old Muslim terrorist wanted to train youngsters to drive cars ‘like Mujahideen’ before arming them with weapons to carry out atrocities at 30 targets around London, including Big Ben, Heathrow Airport and the Westfield shopping centre.
After he was convicted of preparing for acts of terrorism today, Haque leaped to his feet and yelled: ‘If I may just say that American and Europe, there will be a drought and you will see the Islamic State establish itself in the Arabian Peninsula.’
He was dragged to the cells by security staff.
The violent jihadist material he forced children to watch, including graphic videos from ISIS atrocities in the Middle East, means that 35 children groomed to become terrorist martyrs, are now in long-term deradicalization programs.
One boy, aged 12, said: ‘We just pretend to hit them. Get them and slice it through the neck.’ Another boy said he wanted to kill the Queen.
Haque, who was listed as an ‘administrator’ at the independent schools, told students he had links to ISIS and they would themselves be beheaded if they told anyone about what he was teaching them.
His plot was uncovered after he tried to board a flight to Istanbul in 2016, a route commonly taken by Muslim terrorists joining ISIS in Syria.
A search of his phone uncovered a huge haul of Muslim videos and material, which Haque had accessed while planning his terror attacks in London.
An exercise book in which he set out his plot revealed his plans to have ‘100 fighters’, armed with ‘guns, knives, bombs and chainsaws’.
The book states: ‘We must have 10 core soldiers minimum. Recruitment should be easy across Newham/Tower Hamlets.’
A list of targets included Heathrow and Tower Bridge – which were ringed – the Queen’s Guard, Big Ben, Parliament, banks in the City of London, Freemason’s lodge, MI5 building, courts, and the embassies of Russia, China and Iran.
Two of his cohorts, two of them teaching colleagues of Haque’s at other Islamic schools, were also found guilty of related offences.
He admitted four charges of collecting information useful for terrorism, and one count of disseminating a terrorist document and was found guilty of two counts of preparing for acts of terrorism.
Thirty-five boys are now receiving long-term support and treatment to de-radicalize them after being groomed by Haque to become terrorist martyrs.
