British Teen Guilty of Plot to Behead Soldier in London

Brusthom Ziamani, 19, is facing a charge of preparing terrorists attacks following a plot discovered by authorities. Last August, Zimani was stopped by officials. In his possession they discovered a 12-inch knife and a hammer wrapped in a black Islamic flag. The teen had a dark plan set in place which included visiting a military base and beheading a soldier in London. The teen resides in Camberwell, south-east London. Once police located the concealed weapon, they detained the teen for questioning.

Ziamani denies the charges from officials and states while his beliefs may have partially aligned with extremist behaviors, he would never perform an act of terrorism.

A jury disagreed with Ziamani’s claim and found the 19-year-old guilty of preparing an act of terrorism. In 2014, the Jehovah’s Witness raised teen went through a conversion to Islam. Officials said Ziamani was influenced by extremist group al-Muhajroun. Reportedly, Ziamani also told his girlfriend of his violent plans to invade a military base and attack a soldier. The teen’s attorney sided with his client and said although Ziamani has “undoubtedly repulsive views,” he merely made the comments to fit in with those involved with extremist beliefs.

The teen will face a judge on March 20 for his sentencing. The case exposed a vulnerability in the country, forcing officials to raise the terrorist alert to “severe” following the discovery of the plot.

Following the increased alert, law enforcement came down on dozens of people for threatening police officers and military personnel. Many threatened to behead the officials. The threats are significantly troublesome following the 2013 attack of British soldier, Lee Rigby.

The soldier was near the military installment in Woolwich when extremist Michael Adebolajo ran over the soldier. Following the hit, he exited the vehicle and attacked Rigby with various knives and a meat cleaver, killing the soldier.

Following Ziamani’s arrest, the teen claimed the flag was for any last minute meetings, and the weapons were being carried for protection after he abandoned a credit card theft operation. Ziamani’s attorney said he knows the sentence handed to his client will be of “considerable length,” but hopes the court sees he is a “young man” who has no previous criminal history.