Life for British Islamic extremist over terror plot

A British Islamic extremist is facing a life sentence after being found guilty of planning a terror attack on American military personnel in Britain.

Delivery driver Junead Khan, 25, used his job with a pharmaceutical firm as cover to scout United States Air Force (Usaf) bases in East Anglia, his trial heard.

Detectives later found he had been exchanging chilling online messages with an Islamic State (IS) fighter in Syria calling himself Abu Hussain at the same time, including describing attacking military personnel after faking a road accident.

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Prosecutors claimed Hussain was in fact British-born fanatic Junaid Hussain, who was killed in a US drone strike in the IS stronghold of Raqqa just weeks after his link with the planned UK attack was discovered.

After Khan was arrested in July, police found pictures on his phone of him posing in his bedroom with an Islamic State-style black flag which they later found in the attic. His computer was also found to contain an al Qaida bomb manual and Amazon searches for a large combat knife.

Khan was found guilty of preparing for an act of terrorism in the UK between May and July 2015 after a trial at Kingston Crown Court in London.

He was also convicted alongside his uncle, Shazib Khan, 23, of preparing to go to Syria to join IS. Some of the evidence used to convict the pair cannot be revealed for legal reasons.

Both men had denied engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts between August 1 2014 and July 15 2015.

Neither showed any emotion as the jury returned its verdicts after deliberating for almost 24 hours at the end of a six-and-a-half-week trial.

Judge Mr Justice Edis remanded the men in custody ahead of sentencing on May 13.

Junead Khan was found guilty unanimously of planning a UK terror attack but by a 10-2 majority on the second charge of planning to travel to Syria.

Shazib Khan was found guilty by unanimous verdict.

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Junead Khan’s work as an agency driver for pharmaceutical firm Alliance Healthcare legitimately took him to East Anglia in May and June 2015, the court heard.

During these trips he drove close to bases operated by Usaf - RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, RAF Feltwell in Norfolk, and RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire.

He was arrested on July 14 at Alliance’s depot in Letchworth, Herts.