A teenager who has been jailed for planning a series of terrorist attacks across the UK was arrested while trying to fly to Somalia to join Isis.
Police arrested Italian national Muhammad Billal at Manchester Airport in November 2024.
The Old Bailey heard how the teenager’s phone contained terrorist literature and an internet search history of researching how to acquire guns such as rifles and semi-automatic weaponry.
He was charged in February 2025 with two counts of preparation of terrorist act and four counts of collecting information likely to be used by a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.
Billal, now 19, has now been given a 13-and-a-half year sentence after he pleaded guilty to terrorism charges.
The judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, told the terrorist: “By your own account to the probation officer, you intended to kill members of the public and you hoped to be killed by police.
“You could not be sure that you would not have gone through with the attack,” she added.
The teenager declared his allegiance to Islamic State throughout 2024 until his arrest.
Muhammad Bilal pleaded guilty to six offences
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He also collected a “wealth” of propaganda distributed by the Islamist organisation.
Billal told police he was just “naive and bored”, claiming he was “not a violent person” and had just been travelling to Somalia “for the sunshine”.
Prosecuting, Simon Gurney KC said the police managed to stop him undertaking three months of training with Isis.
The court heard how the teenager defended the group on messaging app Discord.
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Muhammad Billal was arrested at Manchester Airport where he planned to train in Somalia
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He said: “I’m protecting Muslims and fighting their enemies.
“For you they’re terrorists but for me they’re fighters for justice and truth.”
He researched potential targets including churches, synagogues and Old Trafford, and prepared by researching “nearby shooting ranges”.
Billal planned to purchase his gun on the “dark web” using cryptocurrency.
Manchester United’s stadium was one of the locations Muhammad Billal could have targeted
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Defending, Andrew Morris said Billal, who was 17 at the time of his crimes, was “vulnerable” and had been “brainwashed” after moving to Britain from Italy as a 13-year-old.
The teenager admitted to all six of his offences in July last year.
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said Billal had been motivated by “Islamic State ideology” and “martyrdom”.
She added: “I don’t accept you were groomed; you started off on this track entirely yourself.”
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