The friend of a failed ISIS suicide bomber has been jailed after police uncovered his plan to use a martyr’s video to sign up to the terror group.
Mohammad Imran, 23, was sent a video by a man plotting to kill UK prime minister Theresa May in a suicide attack so he could use it as a calling card when he travelled to meet extremists in Libya.
The attempt unravelled after would-be bomber Naa’imur Rahman was arrested shortly before a mission to detonate a bomb at the gates of Downing Street and then kill Mrs May with a knife or gun.
Rahman, 20, was stopped after meeting a handler to pick up a jacket and bag that he thought had been rigged with explosives. His contact turned out to be a member of the British security service MI5 who was posing as an ISIS operative.
The subsequent police investigation revealed that Rahman had met with Imran and sent him a ‘sponsor’ video that he could use to gain acceptance with senior ISIS members. Imran also tried to get a false passport because he feared his mother would stop him if he tried use his own to travel to Libya.
Police found the video message on a phone belonging to Imran and a terrorist guide book on another of his electronic devices.
Imran, of Birmingham, was found guilty at two trials last year of collecting information for terrorism and preparing for terrorist acts. He was jailed for eight-and-a-half years on Tuesday.
“The idea was that Rahman would kill the prime minister and Imran would subsequently have a video from a martyr recommending he be accepted into the terrorist organisation,” said Alexis Boon, of the Metropolitan police. “Such a video would have held weight with Daesh [ISIS]”
Rahman was jailed for life last year.
