Uber driver attacked police with sword near Buckingham Palace out of hatred for the Queen, court hears

An Uber driver attacked police with a Samurai sword outside Buckingham Palace out of “hatred” for the Queen, a court has heard. Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 27, shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is the greatest”) as two officers grappled with him near the Queen’s London home in August last year, jurors were told.

After he was arrested, a suicide note to his sister was found, the Old Bailey heard on Monday.

He allegedly wrote: “Tell everyone that I love them and that they should struggle against the enemies of Allah with their lives and their property. The Queen and her soldiers will all be in the hellfire they go to war with Muslims around the world and kill them without any mercy. They are the enemies that Allah tells us to fight.”

The prosecutor said: “The defendant was largely keeping his interest and support for terrorism by Islamic State away from his family, something he was doing online, largely by himself. This interest, this self-radicalisation is something we say he chose for himself.”

The court heard he had watched the Channel 4 drama The State, about British citizens going to Syria, and recommended it to his family.He had searched the internet for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) beheadings and Jihadi John, jurors were told. He allegedly discussed the Westminster attacker Khalid Masood on WhatsApp, saying: “F— the police.”

On August 19 last year, the defendant allegedly sent emojis of a British soldier in red tunic and bearskin hat, a knife and an “Arabic figure” on WhatsApp. On the day of the alleged attack, he changed his profile picture to a green bird, in reference to becoming a martyr, jurors heard. The trial continues.