Teenager, 19, charged with eight terror offences after bomb disposal squad raids his home

A teenage Muslim convert who planned to attack a police station and discussed dismembering a British soldier has been jailed for life.

Detectives said self-radicalised Matthew King, 19, was a day away from launching an assault on a police station or army barracks after spending weeks conducting reconnaissance.

King had watched Isis propaganda videos and tutorials about how to kill people with a knife from his bedroom during the pandemic.

He told a female friend he planned to travel to Syria to take part in violent jihad, spoke of his desire to torture and kill an American or British soldier and updated his WhatsApp status to ‘kill non-Muslims wherever you see them’.

King was stopped when his mother reported him to the government’s counter-terrorism scheme Prevent.

She was praised by judge Mark Lucraft KC, who told the Old Bailey: ‘She did exactly the right thing.’

King was given a discretionary life sentence with a minimum six-year term in the first televised terrorism sentencing in England and Wales.

The teenager had signed up to online retailer Knife Warehouse, uploading an image of his passport to comply with age checks – and in doing so providing detectives with key evidence about his intentions.

In March last year, King filmed himself rapping about planting a bomb, launching jihad and about ‘bros’ locked up in HMP Belmarsh – the high security prison which houses many convicted terrorists.

He studied online content relating to Islamic extremists including Mohammed Emwazi, the Isis killer known as Jihadi John, and Manchester bomber Salman Abedi.

Over a two-week period in March and April last year, King carried out reconnaissance at Stratford police station in east London, Stratford station and a magistrates’ court – filming the buildings while muttering about attacking the occupants.

And on May 13, 2022, he filmed police officers outside Stratford magistrates’ court and posted the footage on Snapchat with the caption ‘target acquired’. On May 17 – the day before his arrest after a joint investigation between the police and MI5 – King filmed the 7th Battalion, the Rifles, in east London.

Head of Scotland Yard’s counter terror command, commander Dominic Murphy, said he believed officers had swooped just before King could carry out an attack.

When asked if King could have launched an attack the next day, Mr Murphy confirmed: ‘Yes, we got him just in time.’

In addition to the report made by his mother, King was reported to the police by multiple people, some via the anti-terrorist hotline.

Mr Murphy said the teenager, who lived with his mother and two sisters in Wickford, Essex, began viewing extremist content in December 2021 and was planning an attack months later.

During his radicalisation, King visited several mosques where he attempted to talk with worshippers about violent jihad and a war on non-believers – but was not received and warned against his behaviour.

It is understood that members of the mosques later assisted detectives with their enquiries.

King pleaded guilty in January to preparing an act of terrorism between December 22, 2021 and May 17 last year.

Mr Murphy said King had shown ‘absolutely zero’ remorse for his actions and murderous intentions.