A 15-year-old boy from Blackburn who plotted a terrorist attack on an Anzac Day parade in Australia has been sentenced to life in prison. The judge ruled that the teenager, who was 14 at the time of the plot, cannot be named to avoid glorification.
Manchester Crown Court heard that the boy acted as the 'organiser and adviser' of a major terrorist plot, exchanging over 3,000 encrypted messages with Sevdet Besim, an 18-year-old alleged jihadist in Australia. The plan involved beheading police officers during the Anzac Day commemorations in Melbourne.
The boy was radicalised online by Islamic State propaganda and encouraged Besim to carry out the attack. Besim was arrested in Australia a week before the event, foiling the plot. The British teenager admitted inciting terrorism overseas and was given a life sentence, with a minimum term of five years in a young offenders' institution.
Judge Mr Justice Saunders said the boy could be released after five years if he is no longer considered dangerous. He also refused a media request to lift reporting restrictions, stating that naming the boy could lead to glorification and encourage others.
