Man urged jihadists to attack UK football stadiums, court hears

A man accused of encouraging would-be lone wolf attackers to target Prince George at school also suggested they kill fans at UK football stadiums, a court has heard.

Husnain Rashid, 32, of Nelson, Lancashire, wrote an online post in December 2016 praising the murder of football fans, the day after an attack at the Besiktasstadium in Istanbul killed 38 people, prosecutor Annabel Darlow said on Thursday.

The defendant said civilians should be considered “combatants” where they supported governments waging war against Muslims and posted a link to a Wikipedia page listing UK football stadiums by capacity, she told Woolwich crown court.

She said: “The prosecution suggests the underlying message clearly intended by the defendant is clear, encourage lone wolf jihadists operating on British soil, mujahideen (to launch attacks) on those watching events in stadiums ... suggesting ways to maximise the attack and spread the effects even further than those unfortunate enough to watch the match in the particular stadium.”

Rashid suggested entering a stadium wearing an explosive vest, attacking fans and security staff at full time and planting additional explosive devices around the ground, the jury was told.

On day two of the trial, Darlow also alleged Rashid suggested targeting this year’s World Cup in Russia. She said he wrote online: “Blow them up or slaughter them or shoot them. Attack them in a truck or car.”

Giving more details about the alleged targeting of Prince George, Darlow said that when the the four-year-old son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, started school, Rashid superimposed an image of two jihadists over a photograph of Thomas’ School in Battersea.

He is said to have sent a message saying: “Even the royal family will not be left alone. School starts early.” The prosecutor told the court Rashid considered most public gatherings “fair game”, including outdoor markets, festivals and political rallies.

He detailed various methods of murder, including use of knives, homemade bombs, poison, vehicles and Krav Maga, a martial art employed by Israeli military forces, she said.

The jury was told that in one of his online posts the defendant suggested dropping a smoke grenade “to cause panic”. Darlow said he wrote: “You will be enjoying taking them down one after the other #terrorizethekuffar.”

Exhorting people to attack train stations, he is said to have written: “No need to board trains. Just get to the train station. Then, in the name of Allah, get busy!” The words were followed by emoticons of a bomb and a knife dropping blood, said Darlow.

A phone that Rashid allegedly threw over a wall when police arrived at his home on Leonard Street, Nelson, is said to have provided a “treasure trove” of evidence.

The phone revealed that he had been using Telegram, the secretive social media application, to take part in thousands of chats, Darlow told the court.

Rashid, who has been employed as a teacher at the Muhammadi mosque, has denied three counts of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts, one count of encouraging terrorism, two of dissemination of a terrorist publication and one of failing to comply with a notice under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.

The allegations span a period between October 2016 and April this year.
The trial is expected to last six weeks.