An Islamic State (ISIS) supporter today pleaded guilty to a string of terror charges, including a plot to attack Britain's Prince George at his London school.
Husnain Rashid, who was undergoing a trial on the terror charges at Woolwich Crown Court in London this week, brought to an end the proceedings with a change in his plea from not guilty to guilty.
Last October, the 32-year-old had posted a photograph on the encrypted Telegram social media forum of Thomas's School in Battersea, south-west London, where the four-year-old son of Prince William and Kate Middleton studies.
The image was superimposed with silhouettes of two masked extremist fighters with a follow-up message listing the full address of the school along with the message: "Even the royal family will not be left alone. School starts early."
Judge Andrew Lees told him that the trial had heard the "most disturbing allegations" and added that "it is inevitable that you will receive a very lengthy prison sentence and there will be a consideration of a life prison sentence."
The court heard he was running his own "brand" on the Telegram app called the "Lone Mujahid", which he used to share advice and encourage attacks. He also allegedly posted a map of Sixth Avenue in New York with the message: "New York Halloween Parade. Have you made your preparations? The Countdown begins."
Other posts included a photograph of the Burmese ambassador to the UK with the address of the Burmese embassy saying: "You know what to do."
Rashid was said to have urged people to "fight and spill the blood to the apes in your land", besides making posts such as: "Start planning, start scouting targets, start monitoring entry/exit routes, start preparing tools and weapons /explosive."
The court was told he prepared acts of terrorism between January and November last year by "messaging individuals he believed to be in ISIS territory, seeking advice about routes to travel to Syria, saving money in order to travel, purchasing equipment, and seeking to obtain tazkiyah (a sponsor), to join ISIS."
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