Radicals ‘plotted to behead member of public’

Police officers guard a house in High Wycombe following the arrest of the three terror suspects earlier this month. Picture: PA

Cousins Nadir Sayed, 21, and Yousaf Syed, 19, along with Haseeb Hamayoon, 27, wanted to carry out the atrocity on home soil “imminently”, the court heard.

They were arrested days before Remembrance Sunday and arrived under heavy guard at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday after being charged with plotting a terrorist act.

Prosecutor Rebecca Mundy said: “These are serious charges. This appears to be an incident where there was an attack planned in the UK that is imminent in nature and would have involved them beheading a member of the public, using knives to do so.

“This indication of the attack and of their extremist views goes back a long way, to December.”

The trio arrived at court in two heavily armoured prison vans flanked by three unmarked police cars with flashing blue lights and sirens. The security convoy halted traffic as it arrived at the court building before shutters at the rear entrance were raised to allow the guarded transport through.

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One of the police cars followed the vans inside before the other security vehicles sped off.

Sayed, from Hounslow, London; Syed, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire; and Hamayoon, from Hayes, also London, spoke only to confirm their names and addresses during the short hearing.

All three were arrested on 6 November on suspicion of plotting terrorist acts.

They each wore the same grey Islamic dress with white collars.

Sayed and Syed refused to sit for most of the hearing, at times laughing hysterically as details of the evidence against them were read.

Hamayoon sat throughout the hearing, nodding and grinning at two older family members in the public gallery.

The men are charged with intending to commit acts of terrorism and being jointly engaged in conduct in preparation for giving effect to their intention, contrary to the Terrorism Act 2006.

All three were remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on 4 December.

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