This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

An alleged Islamic extremist talked about carrying out a terror attack on US soldiers outside military bases in Britain similar to that on Lee Rigby, a court has heard.

Delivery driver Junead Khan, 25, described creating a road accident involving vehicles carrying American military personnel, weeks after driving past bases operated by the US air force in East Anglia, prosecutors claim.

His trial heard that he used an encrypted messaging app called SureSpot to talk with a man calling himself Abu Hussain, whom the prosecution alleged was Junaid Hussain, a Briton in Syria.

In messages from 5 July last year, Khan, from Luton, told Hussain: “When I saw these US soldiers on road it looked simple but I had nothing on me or would’ve got into an accident with them and made them get out the car.”

Abu Hussain replied: “That’s what the brother done with Lee Rigby.” He went on to say he would send Khan a manual for making a pressure-cooker bomb, saying: “It’s best to have at least pipe bombs or pressure-cooker bomb in a backpack in case something happens - so you can do istishhadi bomb in case they try arrest you.”

Prosecutor Max Hill QC told Kingston crown court in London: “This is an individual [Khan] who is a delivery driver who is going to the perimeter fences, on occasion, of US bases in this country. What does that mean? It’s perfectly clear from the response: ‘That’s what the brother done with Lee Rigby.’”

Hill said an istishhadi bomb was a suicide bomb, saying: “That is what Junaid Hussain is advising, to do a suicide bomb in case they [police] try to arrest Junead Khan.”

Khan’s work as an agency driver for a pharmaceutical firm legitimately took him to East Anglia in May and June 2015, the court heard.

During these trips he drove close to bases operated by the US air force – RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk; RAF Feltwell in Norfolk; and RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire – the prosecution alleged. He was arrested on 14 July.

Khan is charged alone with making preparations for attacking military personnel in the UK between 10 May and 14 July last year, which he denies.

He is on trial alongside his uncle, Shazib Khan, 23, also from Luton, with whom he is jointly charged with making preparations for travelling to Syria to fight for Islamic State. The pair deny engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts between 1 August 2014 and 15 July 2015.

The prosecution claimed that Junead planned to travel to Syria with his relatives but altered his plan to focus on an attack in the UK, either on British or US service personnel.

The court has already heard documents found on Junead’s computer showed he researched buying items including a combat knife on Amazon.

The trial continues.

