In a shocking revelation, a court heard yesterday that a homegrown terrorist, Edward Little, had contemplated launching a mass gun attack on the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Little, now 22 years old, converted to Islam while serving time in prison as a teenager and identified the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey as a potential target. The chilling details emerged during the trial.
Little, a British-born Muslim convert, engaged in discussions with other extremists in encrypted chats on a messaging platform, where he expressed his desire to obtain firearms such as a Mac-10 submachine gun and an AK-47 rifle. He believed that an attack with a semi-automatic rifle would send a stronger message, stating, “I don’t think there has been an attack in the UK with guns so a semi-automatic rifle would send an even stronger message.”
However, Little eventually concluded that he was too late to carry out the attack on the Queen’s funeral and shifted his focus to targeting a controversial Christian preacher, Hatun Tash, at Speaker’s Corner in London’s Hyde Park. Tash, a former Muslim and convert to Christianity, has faced threats to her life on multiple occasions.
Little was apprehended while en route to purchase a firearm for the planned attack, having travelled from Brighton to London. During his arrest, he assaulted a detective and poured a mixture of boiling water and sugar over an inmate while in custody at Belmarsh Prison.
The court heard that Little had converted to Islam during his time at Cookham Wood Young Offender Institution in Kent and later at HMP Deerbolt in County Durham. He had a history of criminal offences, including robbery and drug-related charges.
Prosecutor Duncan Penny revealed that Little had extensively researched firearms, the location of the planned attack, and his intended victim. He had downloaded extremist Islamic material and communicated with others about his plans, expressing his intention to murder Hatun Tash and anyone accompanying her, as well as police officers or soldiers in the area. Little also sought financial assistance and carefully arranged the purchase of a firearm for his attack. He even mentioned the need for a video recording of the incident to be claimed by Al Qaeda afterwards.
Little pleaded guilty to preparing to commit an act of terrorism and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. With 14 prior convictions for robbery, possessing a knife, and drug dealing, dating back to 2017, he will be sentenced at a later date.
This chilling case highlights the serious nature of the threat posed by homegrown extremists and the importance of vigilant counterterrorism efforts to protect public safety.
