Safiyya Amira Shaikh

2 offences

What the court heard

She pleaded guilty to engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism and dissemination of a terrorist publication in Hayes, West London, between 19 August 2019 and 10 October 2019. Sentencing Remarks Safiyya Shaikh, you are now 37 years old In February of this year you pleaded guilty, at the first opportunity, to two offences, both of which were committed in the near two month period between 19 August 2019 and 10 October 2019, as follows: Count 1 Engaging in conduct in preparation for giving effect to an intention to commit acts of terrorism, in that you: made contact with a person you believed to be able to assist in preparing explosives; researched methods and decided on a plan to carry out a terrorist act; travelled to central London and stayed at a hotel in order to conduct reconnaissance; selected the hotel as a target for an explosive device; attended St Paul's Cathedral to scope it - for security and for the best place to plant a second explosive device; met a person and supplied her with two bags, with the intention and belief that explosive devices would be fitted into the two bags; and prepared the words of a pledge of allegiance to Daesh, also known as Islamic State. Count 2 Dissemination of terrorist publications, in that you provided a service to others that enabled them to obtain, read, listen to or look at terrorist publications via 'Telegram', intending an effect of your conduct to be a direct or indirect encouragement, or other inducement, or to constitute the provision of assistance, to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. The prosecution have opened the facts in detail. It is accepted that, to any extent that it is necessary to do so, I can resolve any disputed aspects on the papers. For present purposes it suffices to record that you were born and brought up in this country and had a difficult childhood and early adult life. You converted to Islam in your mid 20's and ultimately changed your name. By 2016 you were listening to radical preachers and had stopped attending mosques to avoid being reported for your extreme views. That same year you were nevertheless reported to the Prevent / Channel network, but you denied that you were an extremist. By August 2019, you had become a leading operator of media channels or groups in support of Islamic State using Telegram (which is an encrypted app). In particular, with the help of a number of 'administrators', you ran a channel called "GreenB1rds" which,…

Around this case

• Central Criminal Court Crown Court
• Prosecuted by Crown Prosecution Service