ISIS-supporting drill rapper Al-Arfat Hassan bought chemicals for terrorist bomb attack

A drill rapping ISIS supporter purchased chemicals and planned to launch a bomb attack against non-believers in central London, helped by a 15-year old fan of his music, a court has heard.

Al-Arfat Hassan, 20, from Enfield, North London and the teenager, from Roundhay, Leeds, were said to have shared a ‘hatred’ of disbelievers who were regarded as enemies of Muslims and were to be ‘attacked and slaughtered.’

Both also demonstrated a ‘desire for martyrdom’ in the cause of Islam and supported extremist groups, in particular, ISIS, Jonathan Sandiford KC, told Sheffield Crown Court.

‘Those beliefs and desires manifested themselves in the defendants making preparations to commit one or more terrorist attacks using knives or machetes or improvised explosive devices,’ he added.

Their preparations included identifying potential targets for attack and meeting and communicating for the purpose of planning or training for a terrorist attack.

They were also said to have researched and purchased materials and components to manufacture explosives as well as knives and machetes, and clothing such as balaclavas, headbands and tactical gloves.

The men were said to have taken inspiration from a video produced by the media wing of ISIS which was described as a ‘slick and professional production’ containing a mixture of propaganda, encouragement and instruction.

‘The purpose of the video is to encourage Muslims in the West to launch terrorist attacks in their own countries,’ Mr Sandiford said.

‘To that end, the video provides instruction on how to use a knife to attack and kill, including a gruesome demonstration by murdering a live prisoner.’

It also included instruction on how to manufacture the high explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and how to make a viable homemade bomb, along with a demonstration on a live prisoner who was blown up when the bomb was strapped to his back in a rucksack.

The teenager referred to the ISIS video as ‘the cupcake tutorial’ which was said to be codeword the defendants used for a homemade bomb.

Mr Sandiford told the jury: ‘The defendants’ cause was the extremist Islamic ideology that they had become steeped in, an ideology that justified and glorified murderous attacks on those living in the West.

‘The Crown says that they were preparing to commit attacks using knives or bladed weapons and IEDs, as and when the opportunity arose and they were ready to do so.’

Hassan was said to have purchased acetone and hydrogen peroxide, two of the ingredients of TATP and the prosecution said he intended to manufacture TATP to be used in a terrorist attack.

Hassan was a drill rapper, known as TS, who wrote and performed drill raps that were uploaded to social media sites, primarily YouTube, and made available on streaming services such as Spotify.

In the raps, he portrayed himself as a violent person who had changed his ways due to the influence of Islam, the court heard.

One, called Noor [Light], posted on May 22 2021, had attracted 758,205 views on Youtube and had been streamed 1,577,674 times on Spotify.

It included the lyrics: ‘Demons creep on my left n right, I’m out here tryna make things right. I got pain in my heart n mind.

‘Swing my shank man I loved them knives. Now I kick back and reflect my life.’

The teenager was a fan of TS and told his mother he was ‘The guy who’s [sic] music brought me closer to Islam and the guy who sends Islamic reminders to everyone daily.’

By February 2022, Hassan was using his rap music to glorify ISIS terrorist killings ‘in no uncertain terms,’ Mr Sandiford said.

One particular set of lyrics, referred to as The London Verse, made reference to the victims of the ISIS executioner Jihadi John, including David Haines and Alan Henning, as having been ‘put in a box.’

It finished with the words ‘central London explosion’ and Mr Sandiford said that was ‘significant because we say central London was one of his targets.’

The theme of central London as the target for an attack also featured in a number of messages, the jury heard.

In a WhatsApp chat with his girlfriend in November 2021, suggested Hassan had identified a target for an attack, the prosecutor said.

In a voice message, he told her: ‘I don’t want to say the full word, but kaboom! If you know what that is, yeah that’s my plan.

‘I did want that life before when you just, you know get a good job, career, grow up have a family, have good offspring what not, get married but I lost hope for that s**t init.

‘It didn’t seem right, it didn’t feel right, so hence why I became like this, and some people say radical or what not or just tapped [crazy], that’s why a lot of people leave from my life because they can’t handle it.

‘Ima software engineer while I attempt in doing it because I don’t know, recently I just been having thought process telling me, you know what, nah I should go ahead and do it.

‘The plans have been made already wallahi [I swear] I just need to go and do it inshallah [god willing] it won’t be long because I have this rage inside of me, I have to get done.

‘I know the perfect spot where millions of people are, of course the radius wouldn’t reach a million people but inshallah it does at least a thousand, minimum.’

Mr Sandiford said Hassan was ‘describing a conflict inside self but also saying has identified an aspirational target where there will be a number of victims.’

On November 3 he told the girlfriend: ‘I’ve been scouting’ and added: ‘Wednesday and Friday r v busy.’

Three days later, he added: ‘I’d raise the carnage to a level way worse. Like i said central London. Multiple multiple kuffs [infidels] who 99 per cent of them commit adultery on a daily basis. Win win situation. Sin punished for + 4 lions fast track to jannah’ [paradise].

Mr Sandiford told the jury: ‘We say he is talking about a suicide attack having killed multiple disbelievers in the process and four lions is evidence he was part of a group.’

When his girlfriend threatened to leave him, he made further threats which ‘seems to have been a trigger for activity in early 2022,’ Mr Sandiford said.

Hassan and the teenager both deny preparing acts of terrorism and Hassan denies possessing explosive substances. The teenager also denies possessing the bomb-making video and the trial continues.

Source » dailymail