An extremist husband and wife who practised knife attacks on a dummy while plotting a terror attack have been jailed.
Nursery worker Madihah Taheer and her husband Ummariyat Mirza, from Birmingham, argued over which of them was more radical as they planned to emulate the San Bernardino attack in California which killed 14 and left 22 injured.
Taheer, 22, encouraged husband Mirza, 21, by buying him a hunting knife and telling him before they were married that ‘I want you to kill ppl for me’.
They were both jailed at Woolwich Crown Court today – Mirza for 16 years for preparing acts of terrorism in the UK, assisted by his wife Taheer who was sentenced to 10 years.
Madihah Taheer and Ummariyat Mirza have been jailed for plotting a terrorist attack
The knife bought by Madihah Taheer, who along with husband Ummariyat Mirza was sentenced after they plotted a terror attack on the UK
Mirza made a harness so that he could hide the knife under his clothing and pull it out quickly for the attack (pictured)
In messages to each other, Mirza, 21, said he wanted to stab someone 27 times, to which Taheer replied that ‘sounds so satisfying’.
He then sent her a video of him pretending to stab a chair and asked her to buy him a knife.
The court also heard how Mirza fantasised about beheading Britain First’s leader Paul Golding.
When police searched the couple’s home in St Agathas Road, Birmingham, they found the training dummy with slash marks across the forehead, throat and abdomen.
Mirza admitted preparing terrorist acts and two counts of possessing information useful to a terrorist, after he researched potential targets including a Birmingham military base on his phone.
Taheer denied any involvement but was found guilty of the preparation of terrorist acts after trial at Woolwich Crown Court in October.
Ummariyat Mirza posinjg with a gun
Among the messages between the couple were several sent in September 2015, predating their marriage in April 2016, in which Taheer told Mirza: ‘Can we get married already ffs. I want you to kill for me. I have a list.’
Mirza replied: ‘The day of the nikkah (marriage) I’ll kill em all. Give me the list. The only thing that stops me is we are not married. I will defo I’m not joking.’
The Crown Prosecution Service said the conversations showed Taheer was a ‘willing accomplice’ who knew what Mirza wanted to use the knife for.
Also sentenced was 23-year-old Zainab Mirza, Mirza’s sister, who shared Islamic State propaganda with the couple on social media.
Zainab, of Eastfield Road, Birmingham, earlier pleaded guilty to five counts of disseminating terrorist publications, which she had sent to her brother.
She was sentenced to 30 months.
Judge Christopher Kinch said: ‘There is a clear and seemingly inexorable progress from interest and enthusiasm in terrorism, through research and study, into training, sourcing and acquiring equipment and then researching targets for action.
‘At each stage the discussions between husband and wife demonstrate that Madihah Taheer was supportive throughout.
‘At the time that the discussions and plans of Umar Mirza and Madihah Taheer were reaching their final stages, Zainub Mirza was fuelling the extremist sentiments that were driving her brother and sister-in-law.’
Madihah Taheer with a gun. She uploaded this picture with the caption: ‘Told I was a shottah mann’
Mirza was arrested on March 29, a week after Khalid Masood killed five people in Westminster including PC Keith Palmer.
Taheer was seven months pregnant at the time, giving birth to a son in May.
Mirza had been researching Masood on his computer, alongside potential targets, googling Birmingham Barracks as well as Jewish areas of London and Birmingham Central Synagogue.
When he posted a knife emoji on his WhatsApp account police decided it was time to swoop.
Madihah Taheer was jailed for 10 years; Ummar Mirza was jailed for 16 years and his sister Zainub Mirza, 24, was locked up for 30 months.
The trio embraced before they were taken down.
Taheer, 22, an administrator for a children’s nursery, who was seven months pregnant, was found guilty of lending him her debit card to buy a knife.
Mirza had trained as an accountant but failed his exams and was working in an administrative role at the accountancy firm in Alum Rock.