British Extremist Receives Life Sentence for Planning Attack on US Military
The judge ruled that the offense "was so serious."
— -- A British Islamic extremist has been sentenced to jail for life after being charged with planning a terror attack against American military personnel based in the U.K.
Junead Khan, 25, intended to stage a car crash near Lakenheath and Mildenhall, large U.S. airbases in eastern England, and then kill American airmen using a knife and detonating a bomb.
Khan was sentenced today at London's Kingston Crown Court. He was also found guilty of preparing to go join the Islamic State in Syria along with his uncle Shazib Khan.
"His offense was so serious that a life sentence must be imposed," Justice Edis said. "They were aware of the beheadings by Jihadi John very early in their adherence to Isis and also of the burning alive of a Jordanian pilot. Edis said the two men had been radicalized by the terror group Al-Muhajiroun.
According to British law, prisoners sentenced to life sentences are eligible for parole after serving a minimum term. In Khan's case, he has to serve a minimum of 12 years.
Police arrested Khan last July before he was able to carry out his plan. This led to the cancellation of July 4 celebrations at the airbases, home to around 15,000 Americans, including service families.
After searching his home in Luton, officers found he had been exchanging messages with Abu Hussain, an Islamic State fighter in Syria, and the two had talked about the plan in question. Officers also found a bomb-making manual and Islamist material.
The man Khan was in contact with turned out to be Junaid Hussain, a fighter recently killed in a U.S. drone strike in Raqqa.