2007 plot to behead a British Muslim soldier

2007 criminal plot in England November 2019 The 2007 plot to behead a British Muslim soldier was a plot in Birmingham, England, to kidnap and behead a British Muslim soldier in order to undermine the morale of the British Army and inhibit its recruitment of Muslims. The instigator, Parviz Khan, admitted the plot and was sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve at least 14 years. Another of the accused was found guilty of failing to report the plot and four others were sentenced to up to seven years for supplying equipment to Pakistan-based militants fighting coalition forces in Afghanistan. Plot Shortly after the arrests, reports appeared in a number of newspapers with details of the plot, citing unnamed security sources. According to the newspaper reports, the plot involved kidnapping a British Muslim soldier and taking him either to a run-down house in Leatherhead Close, Aston, Birmingham,February 2020 believed to be owned by the wife of suspect Zahoor IqbalFebruary 2020 or a safe house in Tipton, 9 mi km on from Birmingham. There, he would be blindfolded, handcuffed, made to demand the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, and then killed. A video of this would be released on the Internet.Russell Jenkins Daniel McGrory How al-Qaeda 'tried to bring Baghdad to Birmingham' http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article1308572.ece The Times 2007-02-01 2007-07-06 London, UK https://web.archive.org/web/20070224025422/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article1308572.ece 2007-02-24 dead Some newspaper reports also said that the group spent months compiling a hit list of 25 potential targets.Daniel McGrory, Stewart Tendler and Dominic Kennedy Muslim soldiers 'faced kidnap and beheading' http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article1308572.ece The Times 2007-02-01 2007-02-08 London, UK Russell Jenkins https://web.archive.org/web/20070211023541/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article1308572.ece 2007-02-11 dead Four people were separately accused of supplying equipment on four occasions to Pakistan-based militants fighting the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. They had used the 2005 Kashmir earthquake as a cover to ship anglers' gloves used by snipers, sleeping bags, boots, waterproof map holders, laser rangefinders, anti-bugging equipment, video cameras and mobile phones.https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7241778.stm BBC News The jihadi and the beheading plot 2008-02-18 Dominic Casciani 2008-02-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20080222205434/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7241778.stm 2008-02-22 live Arrests For six months, British police forces and intelligence agencies, under the codename Operation Gamble, had been investigating the plot. They had hoped to investigate for another two months before making arrests, but when one of the suspects purchased a video camera it was feared that this was done in preparation for the kidnapping, so the police brought forward their decision to make the arrests.February 2020 On 31 January 2007, just before 4:00 am, more than 700 police officers raided eight homes and four businesses, including a corner store, two Islamic bookstores and an internet café. Eight men were arrested then,February 2020 with a ninth arrested later in the afternoon while driving into Birmingham. Leaks The sentencing judge described the leaking of information to the media at the time of the arrests as being a "very grave contempt of court". An inquiry by the Metropolitan Police failed to discover the source of these leaks. The civil liberties organisation Liberty said these leaks risked "undermining the work of police and prosecutors and jeopardising the trust and safety of the public".Government terror conduct queried https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6335453.stm BBC News 2007-02-06 2007-12-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20070218170110/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6335453.stm 2007-02-18 live Outcome In February 2008, five men were sentenced after admitting or being found guilty of these allegations.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7215081.stm BBC News Man admits plot to behead soldier 2008-01-29 2008-01-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20080201134831/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7215081.stm 2008-02-01 live Name Charge/Suspicion Outcome Sentence Pervaiz Khan conspiracy to kidnap and murder supplying terrorists Pleaded guilty Life, serving a minimum of 14 years Basiru Gassama failing to report the conspiracy Pleaded guilty 2 years followed by deportation Amjad Mahmood failing to report the conspiracy Cleared n/a Zahoor Iqbal supplying terrorists Pleaded guilty 7 years Mohammed Irfan supplying terrorists Pleaded guilty 4 years Hamid Elasmar supplying terrorists Found guilty 3 years 4 months Gassama was born in Mansaringsu, Brikama, Gambia. He attended madrasahs in Gambia and Senegal, and continued his education in Saudi Arabia. He then moved to the UK and acquired citizenship.August 2016 He is married to the daughter of a former Gambian Foreign Affairs minister whose name was withheld from the press.http://www.thepoint.gm/headlines1674.htm World – The Point Newspaper, Banjul, The Gambia 2007-02-19 https://web.archive.org/web/20070928015836/http://www.thepoint.gm/headlines1674.htm 2007-09-28 live His brother was arrested in March 2006 in Banjul, Gambia as a suspect in a plot to overthrow Gambian president Yahya Jammeh.Suspect no6 on terror rap http://www.people.co.uk/news/tm_headline=suspect-no6-on-terror-rap---&method=full&objectid=18606288&siteid=93463-name_page.html The Sunday People 2007-02-11 2007-02-12 https://web.archive.org/web/20070926234110/http://www.people.co.uk/news/tm_headline%3Dsuspect-no6-on-terror-rap---%26method%3Dfull%26objectid%3D18606288%26siteid%3D93463-name_page.html 2007-09-26 livePK Jarju Brikama man in UK terror plot http://www.allgambian.net/stories_805.htm All Gambian 2007-02-11 2007-02-13 https://web.archive.org/web/20070927061827/http://www.allgambian.net/stories_805.htm 2007-09-27 live He lived in Hodge Hill, Birmingham at the time of his arrest and worked at Khan's General Store. Iqbal was a 29-year-old teacher who lives in Kingstanding, north Birmingham. He taught Information Technology part-time at Saltley School, a specialist science college.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7250697.stm BBC News Soldier kidnap plotter given life 2008-02-18 2008-02-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20080221130546/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7250697.stm 2008-02-21 liveRod Chaytor 12 Terror Charges.. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_headline=12-terror-charges-----&method=full&objectid=18601654&siteid=89520-name_page.html The Daily Mirror 2007-02-10 2007-02-11 https://web.archive.org/web/20071013161840/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_headline%3D12-terror-charges-----%26method%3Dfull%26objectid%3D18601654%26siteid%3D89520-name_page.html 2007-10-13 live Amjad Mahmood of Birmingham was acquitted of all charges after a separate trial.https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/terror-trial-cleared-man-speaks-58689 Terror trial: Cleared man speaks out 19 February 2008 Birmingham Mail 29 January 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180130013855/https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/terror-trial-cleared-man-speaks-58689 2018-01-30 live See also 2007 UK terrorist incidents Murder of Lee Rigby List of terrorist incidents in Great Britain References 30em Plot Category:British Pakistani history Category:Counterterrorism Category:Terrorist incidents in Birmingham Category:Islamic terrorism in England Category:Islamism-related beheadings Category:2007 in military history Category:21st-century military history of the United Kingdom Category:2000s in Birmingham, West Midlands Category:Failed assassination attempts in the United Kingdom Category:Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 2007 Category:Islamic terrorist incidents in 2007