The sword Chowdhury used. Pic: Met Police
Scotland Yard decided to deploy a team of undercover officers to befriend and track Chowdhury’s movements, with the first officer, who used the name “Zulf”, deployed on 2019 January .
The Undercover officers enticed Chowdhury into disclosing his plans for a second attack, initially by talking loudly about jihad in the chicken shop where he worked.
When the officers arranged to meet at a local mosque on February, Chowdhury told them about his prosecution for the attempted attack at Buckingham Palace.
He told them he had “intended to kill a soldier in the name of jihad” but he had been overpowered by police officers.
Referring to his court case, he told the officers “it was a great feeling to go up against the Queen and win, a great feeling to hear the judge reading excerpts from the Koran that he hims elf had highlighted. “
Describing his attack on Buckingham Palace, Chowdhury said he was punched unconsciousness and woke up in the back of the police van but added:” If Allah wants to take me down this path again then … “.
In a conversation on March last year, recorded by listening devices in a flat used by the undercover officers, Chowdhury told them he was ready to “go again”.
He told the officers: “I haven’t died yet, you know what I’m saying? I haven’t got shahada [martyrdom] so it’s even harder now subhanallah [praise god] because now I know what my family’s been through.
“I should be in prison for plus years, “he said.
” I told them why I did it. I told them that they are filth, even in their own courts and yet after all that, every single person on the jury, Allah made them say not guilty, yeah, this is the imaan [faith], right. “
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(Google Podcasts) , (Spotify) (Spreaker) He Added: “Life is short brothers, what’s scary is not knowing where you’re going to end up. Shahada guarantees you paradise, allahu akbar [God is great].”
) He discussed targets with the undercover officers, particularly Remembrance Day and Gay Pride, and using a gun and a vehicle, but in the end Chowdhury insisted he was going to act alone.
Commander Richard Smith, the head of Scotland Yard’s Counter Terror Command, said: “Mohiussunnath Chowdhury was an extremely dangerous individual.
” He was absolutely committed to cause harm to as many people as he could. I think the evidence we collected through our covert officers and which we put before the court clearly demonstrated his murderous intent. “
By 24 June, Chowdhury was heard rehearsing a knife attack with his sister, Sneha, telling her which parts of the body to attack.
Two days later, he told her: “I’m giving my notice in today. I’m doing another attack bruv “.
His sister said:” Bro you’re just having a down day today init. That’s what it is “.
But Chowdhury insisted:” No I’m serious, it’s about time now “.
Chowdhury and his sister were arrested on 3 July last year, three days before the annual Gay Pride march through London to Trafalgar Square.
In his bedroom at the family home, police found a kitchen knife under the mattress, wooden training swords and slash marks on a canvas wardrobe, where he had practiced stabbing techniques.
Sneha Chowdhury was convicted of one count of failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism and cleared of another count of the same charge. Read More
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