Islamist terrorist Edward Little was on his way to pick up a gun in South London when counter terror officers swooped in and dragged him out of a Brighton cab last year.
He had plans to attack the Queen’s funeral and also a Christian Preacher – along with police officers or soldiers in the area.
He was initially sentenced to life with a minimum term of 16 years on December 15, but a slip rule hearing – which allows the court to correct accidental slips or omissions in judgments – meant this was increased by almost a decade to 24 years at the Old Bailey on January 4.
Her admitted he was planning a terrorist attack in the capital.
Little, 21 was carrying £5,000 in cash to pay for the gun from an organised crime group in the capital – which he had planned to use against Christian preacher Hatun Tash, a regular campaigner at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park.
He also identified the Queen’s funeral as a possible target due to the “tyrants of the earth” attending the ceremony, but dismissed it because it was “unfortunately too late.”
The now-convicted terrorist left his home in Pelham Street, Brighton, on September 23 last year and paid a taxi driver £300 to take him to Lewisham, where he had made plans to buy a pistol from the organised crime group.
Police in unmarked cars cornered the car on a main road into London. Little did not say anything as the police officers pulled him out of his seat and onto the road.
He was carrying a rucksack with £5,000 in cash, a passport and two mobile phones.
Little declined to answer questions in police interviews but his mood changed when he was shown a YouTube video of preacher Hatun Tash.
He lunged across the table towards an officer, swinging with his fists before being restrained again.
He admitted to assaulting the officer at Newbury Police Station on September 28 and was sentenced to eight months in prison as a result.
During the trial the court has heard how he discussed his plans – including his desire to get hold of a Mac-10 submachine gun and AK-47 assault rifle – with extremists in encrypted chats on the Threema messaging platform.
At one point, he wrote: “I don’t think there has been an attack in the UK with guns so a semi-automatic rifle would send a even stronger message.”
Read more: Brighton terrorist has sentence increased by nearly a decade
Little also said he would wear a camera so he could live-stream the attack.
At a previous hearing at the Old Bailey, Judge Richard Marks said Little has an “absolutely shocking previous record”.
The defendant had been convicted of 14 offences on seven separate occasions, including for robbery, having a knife and drug dealing, dating back to 2017.
Three men who were set to sell the firearm to Little were sentenced to more than 36 years behind bars after an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing South East.
The group conspired to sell a firearm and ammunition which had been adapted to make a viable lethal weapon to Edward Little.
The gun was found by police who raided places run by the crime group.
The trio did not know that the firearm was intended for use in a terrorist attack, but it was established that their intention was to sell it to a now convicted terrorist.
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