Schoolboy accused of planning terror attack in Cardiff 'wrote martyrdom note declaring allegiance to Isis'

Prosecutors say a Justin Bieber concert may have been targeted after uncovering internet searches on boy's computer

Prosecutors say a Justin Bieber concert at Cardiff's Principality Stadium may have been the planned target (Getty Images)

A schoolboy accused of planning a terror attack had left a “martyrdom letter” declaring his allegiance to Isis, a court has heard.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies preparing to commit terrorist acts and four related charges after allegedly being radicalised online.

Police arrested the boy hours before Justin Bieber took to the stage in front of thousands of fans in Cardiff and prosecutors say the concert, which was the subject of several internet searches, may have been a target.

The defendant, from a white British background, was arrested at his home in rural south Wales on 30 June, when police discovered a claw hammer and knife in his school rucksack.

In a statement read on the second day of his trial at Birmingham Crown Court, Detective Constable Lee Davis, of the Welsh Extremism and Counter-Terrorism Unit, said the teenager was at home with his mother when officers arrived.

“I asked the boy 'where is your phone?' to which he replied 'it's here' and proceeded to place his hand in his pocket and pull out a mobile phone,” he said.

The boy then wrote his Instagram account password - "TruckAttack" - in the officer's notebook, the court was told.


 The defendant had allegedly made several internet searches relating to a Justin Bieber concert in Cardiff in the days leading up to his arrest 
 (Getty)

The same Instagram page contained a post reading: ”Cardiff, are you ready for our terror.“

Searches of the boy’s bedroom uncovered an apparent suicide note where he allegedly declared himself to be a “soldier of the Islamic State” – the wording Isis itself uses in claims of responsibility for international terror attacks.

"I have attacked Cardiff today because your government keep on bombing targets in Syria and Iraq,” it said. “There will be more attacks in the future."

Prosecutor Matthew Brook previously told the court the letter contained bullet points including the phrases ”run down the non-believers with a car“ and "strike the infidels, who oppose Allah, in the neck".

The note ended with the words: "In the name of Allah, may terrorism greet your country. May there be more bomb and vehicle attacks with Allah's permission."

The jury was told that eight fingerprints matching the defendant were found on the letter and that expert provided ”conclusive support“ that the teenager had written it by hand.

Mr Brook said the teenager had also conducted several internet searches relating to the Bieber concert at the Principality Stadium.

A copy of a promotional poster was found on the defendant's computer, he told the jury, adding that two days before his arrest he searched for “Justin Bieber Cardiff 2017”.

Mr Brook said the boy searched for ”Justin Bieber Cardiff security“ the next day, adding: ”This defendant is interested in what the security will be for a large public event the following day.

“This is in context of course of all his searches, his threats on Instagram about Cardiff being attacked on the 30th, the knife and hammer in his bag, and of course the martyrdom letter as well.”

Other online searches were allegedly conducted on crowded sites in Cardiff including the Castle quarter, a shopping centre, Central Library and the New Theatre.

Further web searches presented to the court included “vehicle mounting pavement” and “car ploughs through a crowd”.

The defendant, from the Rhondda Cynon Taf area, denies all charges including preparing terrorist acts, two counts of encouraging terrorism by posting images on Instagram and two counts of possession of a record of terrorist information, namely an Isis propaganda magazine.

Prosecutors allege that he was radicalised online, had terrorist material stored on his computer and was planning a “'lone wolf' style attack in the name of Islam”.

The trial continues.

Additional reporting by PA