A man who planned to kill the fundamentalist Christian preacher Hatun Tash at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park has been jailed for life by a judge at the Old Bailey.
Muslim convert Edward Little, from Brighton, pleaded guilty to preparation of terrorist acts, contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, at a previous hearing on May 19 this year.
On Friday Mrs Justice McGowan handed down a life sentence, ordering Little to serve a minimum of 16 years before he is considered for release.
He will also serve a total of four years’ imprisonment to run concurrently for a charge of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm with intent.
The court heard how Little was only minutes away from buying a firearm, when he was arrested on September 23, 2022 by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE).
The 22-year-old was intending to use this gun to shoot Hatun Tash and any police officers and soldiers present in the area at the time.
Tash, who is of Turkish origin, is known for insulting the Prophet (pbuh) and desecrating the Quran. She often goes down to Speakers’ Corner to debate and confront Muslims from her evangelical Christian perspective.
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Little had been communicating with people on a messaging app and had expressed “violent and extremist views.”
Head of CTPSE, Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright said: “Little’s plan to carry out an attack was in the final stages when officers arrested him. I have no doubt that lives were saved by the actions of those officers who were deployed to arrest him.
“These officers put themselves in harm’s way on that day in order to protect the public from the threat Little posed, and this is what officers across the Counter Terrorism Policing network and in forces across the UK do each and every day.
“It is clear from the thorough investigation carried out following Little’s arrest that he had the specific intention to carry out an attack to further his belief in an extreme Islamist ideology.
“Together with many partners across law enforcement and beyond, we work tirelessly to prevent and disrupt this sort of abhorrent behaviour.”
At a previous hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court, Little pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer.
This was in connection with an incident where a Counter Terrorism detective from CTPSE, who was interviewing Little following his arrest, was attacked and punched in the face.
He also previously pleaded guilty to a charge of causing Grievous Bodily Harm with Intent, following an incident where a man was assaulted in Belmarsh prison by having boiling water mixed with sugar thrown over him.
Divisional Commander for Brighton and Hove, Chief Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw of Sussex Police said: “We are pleased that a dangerous offender has been taken off our streets. This investigation demonstrates that we, along with our partners in CTPSE, will stop all forms of toxic ideology and acts of terrorism, which have the potential to divide our communities and threaten the safety of the public.
“We understand incidents such as this occurring locally can be concerning, but Little was stopped and after a thorough and professional investigation, he has been prevented from causing a risk of harm to the public and the community.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who supported this investigation and helped to achieve this conviction.”
