Umar Ahmed Haque, 25,(seen in a sketch from the Old Bailey on January 16) allegedly planned atrocities across London
A Muslim private school teacher obsessed with the Westminster Bridge attack plotted terror atrocities across London as he made his pupils stage mock shoot-outs with the police, a court heard.
Umar Ahmed Haque, 25, planned massacres at Heathrow Airport, embassies and other London landmarks between late 2016 and early 2017, it is alleged.
Videos of beheadings, dead children, firing squads, buildings exploding, prominent ISIS terrorists and Sunni and Shia Muslims fighting were found on his laptop, recovered on May 17, 2017.
Haque had allegedly shown videos of beheadings and people burning British passports to pupils he taught at the Muslim Lantern of Knowledge private school in Leyton, east London between September 2015 and September 2016.
He had also taught pupils at the Ripple Road Mosque in Barking, east London, where he made students ‘role play’ a battle between ISIS and UK police officers.
One of Haque’s former pupils at the mosque told the Old Bailey: ‘They told me that – to die for Allah makes you a martyr and that he has contacts with ISIS.
‘He was telling us that he knows a few people from ISIS and then he said to us that he was going to show us videos.’
Haque taught pupils at the Ripple Road Mosque in Barking, east London, (pictured in an undated photo provided by the police) where he made students ‘role play’ a battle between ISIS and UK police officers
He was then shown a video of a boy diagnosed with cancer who was buried but was then dug up by his father.
The boy told the court that Haque said: ‘That would happen to us if we don’t pray and become a martyr.’
When asked why his teacher showed him these videos, the 14-year-old said: ‘So we can join him. To become ISIS.’
The boy had lessons every Thursday and Friday between 6pm and 7pm with Umar Haque, who originally did not trust the boy, but after asking his teacher what he told his other classmates, the alleged terrorist revealed his ISIS ties, the Old Bailey heard.
Undated handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of a tent erected in Ripple Road Mosque that was shown to the jury at the Old Bailey in London during Haque’s trial
Haque made the boy ‘swear on God’s life’ not to tell anyone, and the student kept his vow because he was terrified, jurors heard.
He then made the boys simulate combat between British police officers and Islamic State fighters.
The pupil said: ‘Some of us were, like, the ISIS, some of us were the police and some of us were drivers.
‘Some of the people died because of the police that shot them and some of them got away and killed the police.’
The boy then explained Haque was trying to explain to them ‘what we would do to the police’, jurors heard.
Joel Bennathan QC, defending, said: ‘He said some time in the future there may be a wicked, fascist state where the Muslims will be attacked.
‘Do you remember that?’ ‘No,’ the boy responded.
Videos recovered from Haque’s laptop were partly played to the jury, showing the black flag often used by ISIS along with the logos of IS media company Al Furqan and provisional IS media company Al Khayr.
Haque is on trial with Nadeem Ilyas Patel, 26, who allegedly plotted with him together to obtain a firearm; Abuthaher Mamun, 19, who allegedly traded in financial options to finance the terror attacks, and Muhammad Abid, 27, who denies failing to disclose information about Haque’s terror planning.
Umar Haque, Abuthaher Mamun, and Nadeem Patel depicted in a sketch taken during their trial at the Old Bailey on January 16
In covert recordings with Mamun, Haque said: ‘We are here to cause terrorism, we are a death squad sent by Allah,’ it is alleged.
All four men, from east London, were detained in a string of raids on May 17 after an investigation by MI5 and the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command.
Undated handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Ripple Road Mosque interior that was shown to the jury at the Old Bailey
Haque, from Forest Gate, denies two counts of preparing to commit acts of terrorism, one count of dissemination of terrorist publications and one count of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
He admits to dissemination of terrorist publications, and four counts of collection of information likely to be useful to a terrorist.
Mamun, from Barking, denies preparation of terrorist acts.
Abid, from Manor Park, denies failing to disclose information about Haque.
Patel, from Forest Gate, denies conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. He admits possession of a prohibited weapon.
Patel denied that charge but admitted to having a Walther P99 handgun adapted to discharge a noxious liquid or gas.
The trial continues.
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