Man who plotted London Gay Pride attack gets life prison sentence

A man who was found guilty of planning terror attacks on crowds celebrating Gay Pride in central London was sentenced to life in jail Thursday.

The suspect, Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 29, has been told he will serve a minimum of 25 years for conspiring acts of terrorism, according to Reuters.

In his trial, the court was made aware that Chowdhury shared his plans with people he thought he could trust, but was unaware they were covert antiterrorism officers.

His plans involved practicing stabbing and beheading techniques, as well as attempts to practice at a shooting range and trying to obtain a gun, according to Sky News.

Police added in a statement that he disclosed his attack locations, which included crowded tourist attractions and an LGBT Pride event in London, to the covert officers. 

“He also told them of a dream he had, that he and a prison inmate carried out an attack on an open-top bus, which police believe was in fact something Chowdhury was planning to do,” according to the police statement.

The court was also made aware Chowdhury had been cleared of previous charges from December 2018 after he waved a sword at officers outside Queen Elizabeth’s residence of Buckingham Palace.

Commander Richard Smith, head of London police Counter Terrorism Command said Chowdhury “posed a very real threat” for innocent lives.

Chowdhury told undercover officers in a conversation on March 31 last year that he was ready to “go again” following his first arrest outside the Queen’s residence.

“I haven’t died yet, you know what I’m saying? I haven’t got shahada [martyrdom] so it’s even harder now subhanallah [praise god] because now I know what my family’s been through,” covert officers reported him saying, according to Sky News.

His sister, Sneha Chowdhury, 26, has been convicted of one count of failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism but has yet to be sentenced.