'First terror attack since 7/7'
Today’s killing in broad daylight is thought to be the first terrorist attack on British streets since the 2005 London bombings.
The July 7 atrocity saw 52 people killed by four suicide bombers on London’s transport network. Since then, there have been a number of other plots – the first coming just two weeks after July 7. Another group of four bombers had attempted to replicate the earlier attack but their plan failed. They were caught and each jailed for life.
With reports of the victim being a soldier, the Woolwich incident mirrors a plot which saw a Birmingham man jailed for life in 2008 for plotting to kidnap and kill a British Muslim soldier. Parviz Khan admitted planning to lure the soldier off the streets with the promise of drugs – then film his beheading.
He was described in court as having “the most violent and extreme Islamist views”, with the judge saying his aim was to deter any Muslim from joining the British Army. Khan was ordered to serve at least 14 years in jail.
Terrorism also hit the headlines in June 2007 when, following an unsuccessful car bomb attack that targeted Tiger Tiger in central London, a flaming Jeep was driven at Glasgow Airport on June 30. One of the perpetrators, Kafeel Ahmed, died in hospital after suffering severe burns in the attack, while Bilal Abdulla was arrested and given a life sentence the following year.
The most recent planned attack aimed at killing large numbers of victims was in May 2008. Muslim convert Nicky Reilly was planning to blow up dozens of diners with a nail bomb in in Exeter, but he accidentally detonated the device in the restaurant’s toilet. He admitted the plan and also received a life sentence.
According to M15, there have been a total of 2,291 arrests under the Terrorism Act between September 11, 2001, and 30 September, 2012 and 312 people have been convicted of terrorism-related offences. As of the end of September last year, there were 107 people serving sentences in UK prisons classified as terrorists.
Notable plots in recent years include:
* A 2006 plan to blow up aircraft being flown between the UK, America and Canada using liquid explosives which led to 12 people being jailed.
* A plot to attack UK and US targets with a “dirty bomb” and gas-filled limousines that saw al Qaida operative Dhiren Barot sentenced to 30 years in jail in 2006, and seven other men linked to the plot jailed the following year.
* Plans to target shopping centres and nightclubs using fertiliser-based explosives that led to five men being jailed for life in 2007.
* The attempted murder of Stephen Timms MP, who was stabbed by Roshonara Choudry. The student, who was said to have been inspired by extremist sermons she watched on the internet, was convicted of attempted murder in 2010.
* A plan to attack the London Stock Exchange, which saw nine members of a terrorist network later receive sentences of between five and 17 years each in February 2012.
Three high-profile sentencing hearings took place last month alone.
On April 18, four men from Luton – Zahid Iqbal, Mohammed Sharfaz Ahmed, Umar Arshad and Syed Farhan Hussain – were given long jail terms for their roles in plotting an al Qaida-inspired attack in the UK. They had intended to carry out terrorist attacks in Luton using improvised explosive devices and all admitted engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism between January 2011 and April 2012.
British Islamic extremists Richard Dart, Imran Mahmood and Jahangir Alom were jailed for more than 20 years in total on April 25 after admitting engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism. They had discussed targets including Wootton Bassett, the Old Bailey was told.
The following day, 11 men from Birmingham were sentenced for their roles in a major terrorist plot. They were said to have been planning suicide bomb blasts that would have rivalled both the July 7 and September 11 attacks.
Six men from the West Midlands also appeared in court last month to plead guilty to terrorist charges connected to an attempt to attack an English Defence League rally in June 2012.
Omar Mohammed Khan, Mohammed Hasseen, Anzal Hussain, Mohammed Saud, Zohaib Ahmed and Jewel Uddin admitted preparing an act of terrorism. All six will be sentenced on June 6.
