https://news.sky.com/story/essex-te...litary-jailed-for-at-least-six-years-12856522
A teenager from Essex has been sentenced to at least six years in prison after admitting he was planning a terror attack on the police and military.
Judge Mark Lucraft KC said Matthew King, 19, from Wickford, was a danger to the public.
Sentencing him to life, Judge Lucraft said King must serve at least six years before he can be considered for parole….
He had told an online girlfriend about his desire to torture and kill an American or British soldier and had also posted an image of a police officer with the caption: “Target acquired.”
He had been scoping out targets and had previously talked about wanting to carry out a “mass casualty attack” on the public.
Detectives believe King had selected his target and was preparing to carry out an attack when they arrested him….
The calls to police were made between 14 and 18 April last year, after King shared a video on a WhatsApp group, according to prosecutors.
The video shared on 13 April featured a still image of a man holding a knife and the words on the screen: “Those who said that there is no jihad and no battle. They are lying! Our jihad will continue until the Day of Judgment!
“Now the battle has begun. So take out your sword, O youth, and destroy the kufr [infidels].”…
Mr Murphy said King was a “committed, self-initiated terrorist,” who “had radicalised himself in his room using the internet”….
King also set up an account with the online store Knife Warehouse in an effort to buy a blade in December 2021, and in March 2022, bought “tactical” gloves and goggles from an army surplus store….
In conversations on Snapchat with a female friend, later recovered from his phone, King discussed his desire to travel to Syria to take part in violent jihad and talked about becoming a martyr, on a number of occasions.
King told the girl that he was training for jihad and wanted to kill people.
In one particularly graphic exchange, he talked about his desire to torture and kill an American or British soldier.
He also joined an online chat group, in which he discussed subjects including terrorist financing and different routes to travel out to Syria.
At one point, he updated his WhatsApp status to “Kill non-Muslims, wherever you see them”.
On two occasions between March and May 2022, King took a photograph of police officers in Stratford, east London, and on a third occasion, filmed the side entrance of Stratford Police Station as he walked past.
Last May he also made a short film of an army barracks in Stratford….
In a prison phone call, King told his mother: “I’m not extreme anymore.”…
A teenager from Essex has been sentenced to at least six years in prison after admitting he was planning a terror attack on the police and military.
Judge Mark Lucraft KC said Matthew King, 19, from Wickford, was a danger to the public.
Sentencing him to life, Judge Lucraft said King must serve at least six years before he can be considered for parole….
He had told an online girlfriend about his desire to torture and kill an American or British soldier and had also posted an image of a police officer with the caption: “Target acquired.”
He had been scoping out targets and had previously talked about wanting to carry out a “mass casualty attack” on the public.
Detectives believe King had selected his target and was preparing to carry out an attack when they arrested him….
The calls to police were made between 14 and 18 April last year, after King shared a video on a WhatsApp group, according to prosecutors.
The video shared on 13 April featured a still image of a man holding a knife and the words on the screen: “Those who said that there is no jihad and no battle. They are lying! Our jihad will continue until the Day of Judgment!
“Now the battle has begun. So take out your sword, O youth, and destroy the kufr [infidels].”…
Mr Murphy said King was a “committed, self-initiated terrorist,” who “had radicalised himself in his room using the internet”….
King also set up an account with the online store Knife Warehouse in an effort to buy a blade in December 2021, and in March 2022, bought “tactical” gloves and goggles from an army surplus store….
In conversations on Snapchat with a female friend, later recovered from his phone, King discussed his desire to travel to Syria to take part in violent jihad and talked about becoming a martyr, on a number of occasions.
King told the girl that he was training for jihad and wanted to kill people.
In one particularly graphic exchange, he talked about his desire to torture and kill an American or British soldier.
He also joined an online chat group, in which he discussed subjects including terrorist financing and different routes to travel out to Syria.
At one point, he updated his WhatsApp status to “Kill non-Muslims, wherever you see them”.
On two occasions between March and May 2022, King took a photograph of police officers in Stratford, east London, and on a third occasion, filmed the side entrance of Stratford Police Station as he walked past.
Last May he also made a short film of an army barracks in Stratford….
In a prison phone call, King told his mother: “I’m not extreme anymore.”…
