A MUSLIM teenager who plotted to behead a British soldier in a Lee Rigby-style murder has been jailed for 22 years.
Brusthom Ziamani, 19, of Camberwell, south London was found guilty of preparing an act of terrorism after a trial at the Old Bailey last month.
He was inspired by the murder of Fusilier Rigby and used the internet to research army bases, the court heard.
Ziamani – who was converted to Islam in the spring of 2014 – was arrested by cops with a ‘toolkit of terror’ in his rucksack including a 12-inch knife, hammer and black IS flag.
He was nabbed on August 19 last year, as part of a joint counter terror operation between the Met Police and MI5.
Ziamani visited his former girlfriend earlier that day and showed her his weapons – telling her he intended to attack and kill soldiers.
He had earlier labelled Fusilier Rigby’s killer Michael Adebolajo a ‘legend’.
Just months after learning of the Muslim religion, he posted comments on Facebook that he was “willing to die in the cause of Allah”.
He also said: “Sharia law on its way on our streets. We will implement it, it’s part of our religion.”
At the time of his first arrest last June on an unrelated matter, police found a ripped-up letter in his jeans pocket in which he wrote about mounting an attack on a Brit soldier.
He also expressed the desire to die a martyr.
But Ziamani denied he was planning a copycat terror atrocity like the murder of Fusilier Rigby.
On the letter, he said: “I was ranting and raging about the situation in Muslim countries which was described in these talks. I did not believe it at all.”
He denied he had a terror ‘tool kit’ at the time he was arrested, saying he needed weapons because he felt threatened after getting out of a credit card theft operation.
And he said the black flag was packed just in case he was called to a demonstration at the last minute by text.
Ziamani was born in London to Congolese parents. His mother worked as a nursery nurse and his father was a psychiatric nurse.
He said he first became interested in Islam at the age of 15 through rap music and decided to convert again in the months before his arrests.
During that time he went to the Camberwell Mosque, split up with his girlfriend and wore an Islamic robe but tucked it into his trousers when he went home to stop his Jehovah’s Witness parents finding out.