Tri-Service

Teenager Who Planned to Behead British Soldier Jailed for 22 Years

A teenager who planned to behead a British soldier has been jailed for 22 years by a judge at the Old Bailey.

Brusthom Ziamani, 19, from south London, was found guilty last month of preparing an act of terriorism.

During his trial the court heard how he was 'inspired' by the murder of Fusiliier Lee Rigby and used the internet to search Army cadet bases.

Ziamani was arrested in an east London street carrying a 12-inch knife and a hammer in a rucksack.

The court heard he was a "lone wolf" who had been radicalised after being befriended by members of a radical Muslim organisation which held meetings and demonstrations in London.

He had described Fusilier Rigby's killer Michael Adebolajo as a "legend" and told his ex-girlfriend he would "kill soldiers".

Sentencing him, Judge Timothy Pontius said:

"A realistic and sensible assessment of the whole of the evidence leads inescapably to the conclusion that this defendant, had he not by sheer good fortune been spotted and stopped by the police on the street in east London, would have carried out the intention he had so graphically expressed to his ex-girlfriend just a few hours before."

The judge told Ziamani that he would have to serve at least two-thirds of his 22-year sentence before being eligible for parole, adding that he would extend the time he would spend on licence after his release by five years.

Earlier, in mitigation, Ziamani's lawyer said his client was not an "entrenched extremist" but a young man who while destitute had been groomed by people who were "more sophisticated and mature" than him.