Luton man jailed for life for plotting terrorist attack on London Pride parade

Mohiussunnath Chowdhury, 29, of Luton, must serve a minimum of 25 years following his sentencing at Woolwich Crown Court yesterday (Thursday.

His sister, 25-year-old Sneha Chowdhury, also of Luton, who kept her brother’s plans secret, will be sentenced on a date yet to be set.

The pair were convicted in February following a six-and-a-half-month counter terrorism investigation.

Chowdhury had previously been acquitted of a sword attack on police outside Buckingham Palace in 2017.

During the trial, it was heard how Mohiussunnath Chowdhury confided his plans to undercover officers he thought were his friends, but who were in deployed as part of a Met counter terrorism investigation into his activities.

He was also recorded at home telling his sister that he was “doing another attack” and asked her for help to practice stabbing people – which Sneha Chowdhury did not report to police.

Counter terrorism detectives identified that soon after being released from remand in December 2018 following his acquittal, Mohiussunnath Chowdhury began posting messages online that demonstrated his extremist mind-set.

By the end of January 2019, he had bought a replica gun, which suggested to police he could be planning a terrorist attack.

Undercover officers were deployed to befriend Chowdhury, so they could find out what he was planning.

An unsuspecting Chowdhury described to officers how he was targeting central London tourist attractions such as Madame Tussauds as well as the Pride in London event.

He asked one undercover officer who used the name 'Mikael' for advice on obtaining a real gun.

He also told police of a dream he had, that he and a prison inmate carried out an attack on an open-top bus, which police believe Chowdhury planned to do.

Detectives arrested Chowdhury and his sister in Luton on July 3, 2019, days before the Pride in London event.

Officers witnessed a stark change in Mohiussunnath Chowdhury’s demeanour over the course of his time in police custody.

In initial police interviews he was open and talkative with detectives. Police believe he thought he was keeping them distracted while ‘Mikael’ went ahead with the planned terror attack.

Days later, when police revealed his ‘Mikael’ was in fact an undercover officer, he became visibly withdrawn and refused to engage with detectives, answering “no comment” in interview.

Mohiussunnath Chowdhury was subsequently charged with preparation of acts of terrorism. He was also charged with dissemination of a terrorist publication, in relation to a violent terrorist propaganda video he sent the undercover officers, and possession of information useful to terrorism, for having a guide to carrying out terror attacks on his phone. He was found guilty of all these offences.

Sneha Chowdhury was found guilty of one count of failing to disclose information regarding terrorist activity. She was found not guilty of another count of failing to disclose information regarding terrorist activity.

Following the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Andy Waldie said: “We’re really pleased with the sentencing today. Thanks to the hard work of counter terrorism officers in both the Metropolitan Police and the eastern region, a dangerous individual has been prevented from causing significant harm to innocent members of the public.

“We will not tolerate those who seek to cause harm in our communities, and we will continue working with our partners and the counter terrorism network to target, arrest, and disrupt anyone involved in terrorist related activity across the eastern region.

“Communities play a crucial role in defeating terrorism and this case shows how important it is that we all remain vigilant to signs of suspicious behaviour and report concerns immediately to police.”