A dentist was jailed for four and a half years after he admitted planning to fly to Pakistan to carry out acts of terrorism.
Sohail Qureshi, 29, a qualified dentist, told fellow extremists he planned to ‘kill many’ during his mission, the Old Bailey heard.
Qureshi, of Forest Gate, east London, was in e-mail contact with Samina Malik – the so-called ‘lyrical terrorist’ given a suspended jail sentence last year after being found guilty of storing material for terrorism.
Qureshi was arrested in October 2006 as he prepared to board the plane to Pakistan with nearly £9000 in cash, a night-sight and military information stored on CDs.
Jonathan Sharp, prosecuting, said he planned to carry out terrorist activity either in northern Pakistan or Afghanistan.
The court heard that police found a message on an extremist website in which Qureshi wrote: ‘Pray that I kill many, brother. Revenge, revenge, revenge.’
Mr Sharp said: ‘Sohail Qureshi is a dedicated supporter of Islamist extremism.’
Qureshi pleaded guilty to preparing for terrorism under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, the first time anyone has been convicted of the charge.
He also pleaded guilty to possessing an article for a terrorist purpose and possessing a record likely to be useful in terrorism.
