A woman who fantasised about beheading Katie Hopkins has been convicted of terrorism offences.

Madihah Taheer, 21, from Birmingham, was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court of preparing to commit terrorist acts.

Her husband Ummar Mirza and his sister Zainub Mirza had already pleaded guilty to similar offences, with all three due to be sentenced on 1 December.

Image: Taheer dreamt of beheading controversial commentator Katie Hopkins

The trial heard how Taheer and her partner Mirza had boasted to each other about their extremist views and discussed how they would celebrate their marriage by carrying out an attack.

In one exchange between the couple, Ummar Mirza wrote: "The day of nikkah [wedding], I'll kill em all. Give me the list, the only thing that stops me is we are not married. I will defo, I'm not joking."


Taheer responded: "Lool, u can't have it til u put a ring on it."

They purchased a rubber dummy, often used in martial arts, and a rubber training knife which they used to rehearse for a terror attack at their home in Alum Rock, Birmingham.

Bride used dummy to practise terror attack

Taheer then bought a £120 hunting knife online along with a device to allow it to be concealed under clothing.

In an earlier Whatsapp chat they had discussed who they would like to behead. Mirza identified the leader of the far right group Britain First. He wrote: "I want Paul Golding's head."

Taheer replied: "I fantasise about Katie Hopkins head. She's the biggest kuthi [bitch] of them all."

Matt Ward, head of counter terrorism at West Midlands Police, told Sky News their extremist views can be traced back at least two years.

"It certainly seems that this year they had accelerated their extremism," he said.

Image: Ummar Mirza said he would launch a terror attack as a wedding present for Taheer

"This wasn't jokey, they were sharing some really violent disturbing extremist material that encouraged the support and gave instructions of how to carry out bladed weapons attacks on innocent members of the public."

The trio were arrested before they could implement their plot after careful collaboration between the police and the security services.

DCS Ward explained: "I'm not going to confirm or deny any of the targets but there was a clear intention to plan for and carry out a terrorist attack I think that was probably going to take place within the West Midlands, within Birmingham.

"Had we, policing and the security services, not acted when we did then there would have been a further atrocity carried out in addition to the ones we have already seen carried out this year in London and Manchester."