IS fatwa 'inspired beheading plot by UK trio'

Courtroom sketch of the three defendants: Haseeb Hamayoon, Nadir Syed and Yousaf Syed (l-r)

Three men accused of plotting to carry out a beheading in the UK were inspired by a fatwa issued by so-called Islamic State, a court has heard.

Nadir Ali Syed, 22, from Hounslow, west London, Yousaf Shah Syed, 20, from High Wycombe and Haseeb Hamayoon, 28, from Hayes, west London, deny the charges.

The prosecution alleges they were inspired by a fatwa - or decree - to kill Westerners.

This was the "catalyst for violence" for the plotters, jurors were told.

Woolwich Crown Court also heard the trio had photographs of police community support officers, and the plotting increased around the time of last year's Remembrance Sunday.

The jurors watched a video allegedly showing the Syeds, who are cousins, standing in a street and stamping on a poppy.

'Poison him'

Prosecutor Max Hill QC said the fatwa, issued by Islamic State (IS) spokesman Abu Muhammad Al Adnani in September 2014, called on Muslims to arm themselves and attack "disbelieving" Westerners.

He said: "It urged followers to rise up against westerners and 'rig the roads with explosives for them. Attack their bases. Raid their homes. Cut off their heads'.

"It went on: 'If you are not able to find an IED (improvised explosive device) or a bullet then single out the disbelieving American, Frenchman or any of their allies.

'Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him from a high place, or choke him or poison him'."

The three were arrested during police raids in November last year

The three men were arrested during police raids in November last year.

Jurors heard the three men had been inspired by Michael Adebowale and Michael Adebolajo, who ran-over and hacked to death Fusilier Lee Rigby near Woolwich barracks in South London in May 2013.

Mr Hill said that "again and again" the men showed a level of interest in the brutal murder of Fusilier Rigby.

'Landlocked'

Jurors heard Mr Hamayoon staked out and took photos of a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) patrolling a car park at a mosque in Hounslow, west London, and bought a Rambo First Blood II knife.

They were also shown a close-up of another PCSO, allegedly taken by the men.

The Syeds both tried to catch flights to Turkey early last year, the court heard. Prosecutors said they were planning on heading to Syria.

Nadir was stopped from boarding because he was on bail for a public order offence, while Yousaf went no further than Turkey.

But a third traveller, Luqman Warsame, made it to Syria where he fought for IS, also known as ISIS, and continued to communicate with the cousins back in Britain, the court heard.

Mr Hill said while they were "effectively landlocked in this country", the Syeds plotted with Mr Hamayoon and talked about terror attacks in online chat rooms.

"All three were extreme and unnaturally interested in murders and beheadings," he said. "They were interested in killing by the use of knives."

'Knives in her kitchen'

The prosecution alleged there was increased activity between the plotters in the run up to last year's Remembrance Sunday.

Mr Hill said that by November "the defendants' attentions were firmly on sourcing knives of sufficient quality to source an attack".

"This is all going on in the first week of November," he told the jurors.

"We invite you to conclude that the timing of this increased activity, coming days before Remembrance Sunday on 9 November 2014, and Remembrance Day on 11 November 2014, was no coincidence."

Mr Hamayoon told police in a prepared statement that he was a trained chef "and had experience of cooking utensils and knives to a professional standard".

Nadir Syed claimed he went to a shop to buy knives for his mother because "she was complaining about the state of knives in her kitchen".

Yousaf Syed claimed he had moved into a new home with his wife and wanted to buy a new knife sharpener.

The trial continues.