19-year-old Haroon Ali-Syed planned to explode a homemade bomb at an Elton John concert scheduled for the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a British court has heard. The teen got the instructions to make the device online via jihadist websites.
While the planned concert went off without a hitch, Ali-Syed also researched other sites to attack, including Buckingham Palace and a busy street in London’s commercial district. The plan was foiled when the teen made contact with an undercover officer online.
“His internet searches show he is searching busy places in London. Oxford Street, upcoming events in London,” prosecutor Thomas Halpin told the court. “He is looking at internet searches. Where are soldiers in the UK, London’s top ten most crowded boroughs, Buckingham Palace, Royal Marines Reserve, City of London.”
Two other men were arrested in connection with the plot. Both have been released on bail, but Ali-Syed remains in custody.
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No explosives were discovered when the teen was arrested. He will appear in court again on Monday.
