Husnain Rashid, an Islamic State (IS) supporter who called for jihadis to attack Prince George, and who has admitted to a string of terror offences at Woolwich Crown Court
An internet terrorist who was jailed for life for urging his social media followers to target Prince George at school had his minimum sentence reduced from 25 years to 18 years today.
Husnain Rashid, 32, provided advice on how a ‘lone wolf’ terrorist could carry out an attack with poison, chemicals, bombs and knives.
He was also in communication with a known IS fighter in Syria and ran his own internet channel.
But his sentence was slashed after the Court of Appeal heard he has promised to be deradicalised and while he encouraged acts of terrorism he did not coordinate them.
Rashid posted 360,000 messages on 150 different chat threads on Telegram between November 2016 and his arrest on 22 November 2017
He also urged thousands of social media followers to carry out terror attacks at the World Cup in Russia.
Rashid encouraged followers to inject cyanide into fruit and vegetables at grocery stores and to poison into ice cream.
Officers seized almost £6,000 which they believed was going to be used to fund terrorism.
Rashid was consulted by terrorists around the globe seeking advice on poisons and explosives and was working on an online magazine named ‘The Lone Mujahid’.
He was in contact with a terrorist fighting jihad in Syria called Omar Ali Hussain known on the internet as ‘Repunzel’.
Rashid posted a photograph of Prince George outside Thomas’ School, Battersea, with a black silhouette of Jihadi fighters with the message: ‘even the royal family will not be left alone.’
Rashid wanted to inspire his followers to poison Prince Geoge, pictured
He posted a map of Sixth Avenue in New York with the words: ‘New York Halloween Parade. Have you made your preparations? The countdown begins.’
He told his followers to: ‘Fight and spill the blood to the apes in your land’.
Rashid also advocated welding blades to the front of a 4×4 to cause as much carnage as possible when ploughing through crowds.
He had several phones which had programmes designed to hide his internet history which were used to contact terrorist Omar Ali Hussain – the former Morrison’s security guard from High Wycombe, who is thought to have been killed last year.
Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Husnain Rashid in the dock at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, where he appeared accused of helping would-be terrorists prepare attacks
The pair exchanged messages and phone calls prior to Rashid’s arrest by police.
Police found a ‘treasure trove’ of evidence in his bedroom at 5 Leonard Street, Nelson, Lancs, including a passport in his name, phones, laptops, and other electronic devices.
His phone contained a pdf file of a partially completed version of ‘Lone Mujahid’ magazine. and other articles including: ‘Make a Bomb in Your Kitchen’.
Naeem Mian, defending, told the court the cyber terrorist grew up in an isolated community in Nelson, Lancs and has ‘an introverted personality.’
Lord Justice Holroyde, chair of the Court of Appeal responded: ‘What’s isolated about Nelson?
‘You speak about it like its a wasteland.
‘It’s the industrial heartland of Lancashire.’
In a pre-sentencing report a probation officer said: ‘I don’t believe that he is an imminent danger to society.
‘I believe he has begun a path of deradicalisation and recognises that ISIS represents a perverted interpretation of Islam.
Another passage stated: ‘He is committed to learning the error of his ways.
‘He is an ideal candidate for rehabilitation.’
Lord Justice Holroyde asked him what he would say to the judge’s sentencing remark that
The jihadi was attacked inside HMP Manchester – better known as Strangeways, in July. He was slashed in the face by inmates using an improvised weapon fashioned from a toothbrush with an embedded razor blade. Witnesses said Rashid suffered a huge gash which started at his right ear
Rashid was ‘posting an unstoppable flow of incitement and encouragement to others to commit acts of terrorism.’
Mr Mian said: ‘Unstoppable is probably the wrong adjective.
‘There was a significant amount of information.
‘But no more than significant than what your lordships might have experienced in other cases.
‘It is not unusual, this case, by any stretch of the imagination.’
Announcing the reduction in sentence Lord Justice Holroyde said: ‘The stark facts were that a man with no previous initially motivated by stress and anger about the fate of those caught up in the Syrian civil war had become in a short period of time radicalised.’
He said that the defendant began to do what he could to’ encourage others to commit terrorist atrocities.’
But Lord Justice Holroyde added: ‘The judge was not correct to find that the appellant had coordinated others to carry out acts of terrorism.’
He said that while the first three counts taken warranted life imprisonment the minimum sentence must be reduced.
‘The seriousness of these three offences taken together was sufficient to warrant a life sentence.
‘The life sentences must be upheld, but the minimum term must be reduced.’
Rashid, of Leonard Street, Nelson, Lancashire, admitted three counts of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts and one of encouraging terrorism and had been jailed for life with a minimum sentence of 25 years
His life conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal but his term was reduced to 18 years and 146 days.