Teenage convert to Islam ‘plotted to kill soldier before mum called terror cops’
A TEENAGE convert to Islam plotted to kill a soldier, a court heard.
Matthew King, 19, made visits to police stations, a magistrates’ court and an Army barracks in his chilling hunt for targets.
He was caught just in time by terror cops after a tip-off from his anguished mum.
King converted to Islam in lockdown after watching YouTube videos.
From December 2021 to May 2022, he scoured the web for radical content.
In messages to his 17-year-old girlfriend, King wrote: “I just want to kill people.”
He was arrested at his home in Wickford, Essex, in May 2022 and later pleaded guilty to plotting a terror attack.
While on remand in Wandsworth jail, King threatened to behead the prison imam, the Old Bailey heard on Friday.
He will be sentenced later this month.