For attempting to blow up a packed tube train at Parsons Green in West London, 21 year old Ahmed Hassan, was jailed to life imprisonment, with a recommendation that he serve a minimum of 34 years.
Also Hassan and another convicted terrorist, 23 year old Hashem Abedi, have been charged with attacking a prison officer at their maximum security jail.
While Hassan Hassan tried to blow up a packed tube train, injuring 51 passengers in west London in 2017, Manchester Arena killer Hashem Abedi, was found guilty of the murder of 22 people — including an eight-year-old girl — after his brother Salman, 22, blew himself up at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017.
In his sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Haddon-Cave, made the following observations:
“Finally, Ahmed Hassan, let me say this to you. You will have plenty of time to study the Qur’an in prison in the years to come. You should understand that the Qur’an is a book of peace; Islam is a religion of peace. The Qur’an and Islam forbid anything extreme, including extremism in religion. Islam forbids breaking the ‘law of the land’ where one is living or is a guest. Islam forbids terrorism [hiraba]. The Qur’an and the Sunna provide that the Crime of perpetrating terror to “cause corruption in the land” is one of the most severe Crimes in Islam. So it is in the law of the United Kingdom. You have, therefore, received the most severe of sentences under the law of this land. You have violated the Qur’an and Islam by your actions, as well as the law of all Civilized people. It is to be hoped that you will come to realise this one day.”
Applauding the sentence, Nigeria’s Association of Muslim Lawyers (AML) in a statement said they: Ünequivocally support and applaud the Learned Judge’s insightful and accurate analysis. The despicable act of planning to kill, injure and maim innocent Civilians must not go unpunished. The disassociation of any and all acts of terror from the peaceful religion of Islam is vital in redressing the skewed misportrayal perpetrated on a daily basis and is crucial to building the trust lost within our Communities.”
At his Old Bailey trial, judge Justice Haddon-Cave said that Hassan ‘quietly went about planning and executing this terrorist bomb attack with ruthless determination and almost military efficiency, whilst pretending to be a model asylum-seeker.’
A third man, Muhammed Saeed, 21, was also charged with assaulting the guard, the Met police said.
Saeed, from Manchester, was convicted of terrorism offences in November last year, and is in custody waiting to be sentenced.
Abedi is also charged with assaulting another prison officer during the same incident at Belmarsh.
The trio are due to appear at Bromley magistrates court on April 7.
Additional report from Metro
