A 17-year-old British teenager was convicted in British court Monday of plotting an attack on a Justin Bieber concert in South Wales shortly after the May 2017 attack on an Ariana Grande concert in the United Kingdom.
The teenager reportedly researched security conditions at the concert online and even prepared a martyrdom letter declaring, “I am a soldier of the Islamic State. I have attacked Cardiff today because your government keep on bombing targets in Syria and Iraq. There will be more attacks in the future,” meant to be left after he carried out his attack.
The teenager’s school backpack contained a claw hammer and a large knife while his letter almost made reference to running down protesters with a car. The teenager did extensive research online on how to steal a car and how to kill a person with a knife prompting authorities to arrest him hours before the concert began.
He also reportedly uploaded a photo on Instagram of a local castle asking “Are you prepared” alongside photos of a gun, knife, and jeep.
“This teenager’s behavior over many months leaves no doubt that he intended to kill and maim as many people as possible in an attack reminiscent of the incident on Westminster Bridge,” British prosecutor Sue Hemming said to BBC News.
The teenager’s arrest occurred just a month after child of Libyan refugee’s Salman Abedi blew himself up at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017. His victims were largely composed of women and children, including an eight-year-old child.
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