Teenage boy ‘looked up music festival as location for terror attack’, jury hears

A teenage Muslim convert looked up the Isle of Wight Festival as a potential target for a terror attack he planned after developing an “Islamic extremist mindset”, a jury has heard.

The 16-year-old boy, who was 15 at the time and cannot be named due to his age, is also alleged to have sent Isis videos of beheadings and violence online to those who appeared to share a “similar mindset”.

As part of his alleged plot to carry out a terror attack, he is said to have looked up weapons, vehicles, and stab vests, and obtained a knife by July 2022.

After discarding the festival as a target because he did not have a car or other vehicle, the youth is then alleged to have drawn up plans to stab people who worked with him at a specialist education provider, Kingston Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Serena Gates told the jury he repeatedly researched the festival in June 2022.

He used the search terms “gun Isle of Wight”, “fast lorry”, “how many people are going to Isle of Wigh fest”, “Isle of Wight Festival gate” and “Isle of Wight Festival gate names”, jurors were told.

The defendant also discussed his alleged plans with others online as he received messages such as “I heard you were going to attack the festival is this true”, the court heard.

The prosecutor added: “Following the earlier searches for knives and what was permissible and/or justified under Islam, the prosecution say these further searches could only be in order to provide information to (the defendant) that would assist him in the planning of an attack.

“His first target appears to be the Isle of Wight Festival.

“It is clear, the prosecution say, that such specific searches were clearly not for the purpose of simply ‘researching Islam’.

“It is clear therefore that at the time the defendant conducted his initial searches about the Isle of Wight Festival, he did so for the purposes of planning an attack, intending at the time of the searches that is what he would do and, it seems, told others about it.”

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, is alleged to have been found after his arrest.

He is also said to have tried to convert his grandmother to Islam in the note.

The court heard the defendant is autistic but “bright, articulate and capable of exchanging ideas with others”.

Jurors heard the FBI alerted UK counter-terror police to a user of the messaging app Discord who was allegedly plotting an attack on July 11 2022, who was later identified as the defendant.

A note found in his bag suggested people should “stay away from the Muslims unless you want your throat sliced”, according to the prosecution.

Another note found at his address appears to claim a member of staff at the education provider he was enrolled with had drawn a picture of Allah, which can be “extremely offensive to Muslims”, the court heard.

The words of a further note said the staff member “shouldn’t feel safe”, jurors were told.

A picture of a gun and arrow pointed towards the word unbeliever is said to have been found on the piece of card.

The defendant converted to Islam in late 2021 and the court heard five tutors who worked with him became concerned about his developing beliefs.

One tutor said the teenager’s conversion was initially assessed to be “having a positive impact” on the defendant’s life and he was “given space” to explore it.

The defendant later began saying he no longer wanted to work with women and discussed moving to Saudi Arabia before deciding the country was “too liberal”, jurors were told.

The defendant also expressed support for attacks on French magazine Charlie Hebdo, the prosecution said.

One tutor noticed the defendant had a picture of Osama bin Laden as his phone screen picture 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”, it was claimed.

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, it was alleged.

On the day of the defendant’s arrest, the tutor said he saw what he thought were knife marks on the front and back of the defendant’s bag as he reached to get snacks out, the jury was told.

Staff had considered referring him to the Government’s Prevent anti-radicalisation programme but the defendant became angry when he heard about this, the court heard.

He denies one count of preparing acts of terrorism, three counts of disseminating terrorist publications and one count of possessing a knife in public.

The trial continues.