Terrorism : British boy , 15 , jailed for life

Terrorism : British boy , 15 , jailed for life

A 15- year -old boy, thought to be the youngest Briton to be convicted
of a terrorism offence , was given a life sentence on Friday for inciting an attack
on a World War One commemorative event in Australia from his bedroom in
northern England.

The boy, who cannot be named due to his age, pleaded guilty in July to sending
messages online encouraging an attack on police officers at an event in April to
mark Anzac Day – a day of remembrance for military dead in Australia and New
Zealand. He was just 14 at the time.

The discovery of the boy’ s actions sparked a massive police operation in
Melbourne , which led to the arrest of five teenagers who were planning an
Islamic State-inspired attack on an event to mark the centenary of the Gallipoli
landings, Australian authorities said.

British police said had the plot not been uncovered , it was likely someone would
have been seriously injured or killed.

“ From the early communication we could read, it was obvious the Anzac Day
memorial service was going to be a target, ” said Detective Chief Superintendent
Tony Mole of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit.

“ People will be understandably shocked by the age of the boy. However , this
should not detract from the horror of what he was planning . ”

The boy from Blackburn , who had admitted a charge of inciting another person
to commit an act of terrorism , was sentenced to life in a youth detention centre
and will have to serve a minimum of five years.

Manchester Crown Court heard he was initially arrested by police on suspicion of making threats to kill his teacher . When detectives examined his phone they
found extreme images, including a screen saver of Islamic State militants.
There was also evidence he had searched the internet for instructions on making explosives and building a detonator from scratch.

During nine days in March he shared more than 3, 000 heavily encrypted
messages with fellow plotter “ Illyas ” in Australia, in which they discussed a plan to run over a police officer at an Anzac Day parade.

The boy also suggested Illyas break into someone ’ s house to “ get your first taste of beheading ” and they shared images , including an exact replica of a knife used in the “ Rambo ” films . The boy said it had a handle which is “ perfect for tearing through throat ” .

( Reuters)