Islamic State fanatic who encouraged terror cell in Germany jailed for life

The beginning of his trial last week. From the Express and Star

An Islamic State fanatic who encouraged a terror cell in Germany to commit mass murder with a car, bomb and meat cleaver has been jailed for life with a minimum term of nine years.

Iranian-born Fatah Abdullah, 35, learned how to make a pressure cooker bomb to teach his continental conspirators Omar Babek and Ahmed Hussein. He bought more than 8,000 matches, explosive precursors, fireworks, fuses and a remote control detonator, the Old Bailey heard. It is believed he may even have tested out some ingredients to make gunpowder from his flat in the Arthur’s Hill area of Newcastle, the court heard.

In an encrypted message, he told the plotters in Germany: “You select your target for the car, after you have set off the explosions, you target crowd or group of people with your car you drive through them, and find a meat clever which is used by butchers, once you have ran them over with the car get out of the car start attacking them with it. If you couldn’t attack them with a car after the explosion attack them with knife, Sword or meat cleaver. 

“The aim is that you kill them and make them feel terrified and show them that (so-called Islamic State), is here and Islam is here, the most important thing is that you carry out the jihad.”

On Friday, Mr Justice Sweeney sentenced him to concurrent life sentences with a minimum term of nine years. Not actually very long, but that’s how it is these days. 

The judge said Abdullah was a dangerous offender and his “ultimate aim” was to “cause mass murder in Germany”. He went on: “The fact the ultimate offences were to be carried out by others abroad does not diminish their gravity in any way. “There can be no doubt your acts were of significant assistance and encouragement.”

I believe it is Sweeney J who will be sentencing Safiyya Shaikh after lunch.