Isis fighters’ brother bought sword and rapped about Lee Rigby ‘while planning terror attack’

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An alleged Isis supporter whose two brothers died fighting for the terrorist group in Syria planned a terror attack in the UK, a court has heard.

Sahayb Abu, 27, bought a sword, knife, balaclava and gloves while allegedly making preparations for an act of terrorism.

The Old Bailey heard that he sent two of his surviving brothers videos of himself rapping about “sending bombs” and “eliminating foes”.

Jurors were told that days before he was arrested, Abu rapped about the 2013 terror attack where Fusilier Lee Rigby was murdered and talked about seeing “many Lee Rigby’s heads rolling on the ground”.

He allegedly discussed wanting to conduct homophobic attacks in the UK in an extremist chat group, as well as targeting a Shia Muslim cleric.

On the day of his arrest on 9 July, Abu allegedly praised the 9/11 terror attacks and wrote: “We need a 9/11 2.0”

Prosecutor John McGuinness QC said Abu had also conducted numerous online searches for terror attacks in the UK, France and Germany.

“The kuffar [disbelievers] have felt their share of pain, I just wish it was multiplied a million fold,” he allegedly wrote in a text message to his brothers on 3 July.

Two days before, he had ordered an 18in blade from an online shop that described it as a “deadly close-combat design … used by warriors”, and paid extra to have it sharpened before delivery.

Later that day, he sent a rap to his brothers talking about “militant born, militant wear” and adding that he was “just waiting on the body armour … the body armour stop a bullet”.

Mr McGuinness said the defendant had purchased body armour online on 28 June, but that the armour and the sword were not delivered “because of intervention by the authorities”.

He told the jury that Abu’s only income appeared to have been £400 a month in benefits, and that the purchases left only £1.13 in his account.

Several of the rap videos played to the court had been sent to his brother, 31-year-old Muhamed Abu, who has been charged with failing to tell authorities about the alleged plans.

The court heard that Sahayb Abu was part of an extremist chat group on the encrypted Telegram app, where participants posted messages that “actively displayed support for Isis” and shared footage of beheadings, explosions and atrocities.

Mr McGuinness said he joined under a pseudonym after applying to become a member and being vetted by participants.

In an audio message sent as part of the application, Abu allegedly said that one of his brothers, his sister and her husband had been jailed for disseminating terrorist publications.

In a written post, he allegedly said: “Time for talk over 100 per cent. Talking is over. The kuffar [disbelievers] aren’t talking, that’s for sure.”

The court heard that in other posts, Abu outlined support for extremist preachers including Anwar al-Awlaki, Anjem Choudary, Abu Hamza and Abdullah el-Faisal.

Following a mass stabbing in Glasgow on 26 June, Abu allegedly lamented that “there’s only knives in UK, it’s not going to do much damage”.

The court heard that he started discussing the availability of guns in Britain with another participant in the group, who was an undercover police officer known as Rachid.

Jurors were shown records of private messages between the pair, where the police officer was posing as a gun smuggler and Abu asked if they could “meet up for a coffee”.

Abu met the undercover for the first time on 30 June, the court heard, and told him that two of his brothers had travelled to Syria in 2015 and died as “martyrs” fighting for Isis.

Mr McGuinness said the pair later discussed smuggling guns into the UK “in code” in private messages, and again at a second meeting on 7 July.

In police interviews following his arrest, Abu said he did not believe references to “toys” and “sweets” were code for firearms.

When asked why he had ordered the sword, Abu said it “looked cool” and could be used as a prop in a film about himself, and then claimed he had it sharpened to cut things including paper and rugs.

He told police he joined the extremist chat group “to flirt with girls, try woo them”, and was trying to look “macho” by voicing apparent support for 9/11.

Abud denied supporting Isis and called himself “a guy of world peace.”

Abu, of South Norwood in London, denies preparing an act of terrorism. His brother, Muhamed, of Dagenham, denies failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism. The trial continues.