London – A man who tried to travel to Syria and join ISIS has been found guilty of terrorism offences, according to British authorities.
Patrick Kabele, 32, of Willesden in North West London, was stopped at Gatwick Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Istanbul on August 20, 2016, a court heard.
Kabele was found to be carrying £3,000 as well as numerous media devices, according to police.
Kabele reportedly refused to answer any questions about his travel plans, but police said inspection of his media devices revealed his plan to travel to Syria and join ISIS.
A jury at Woolwich Crown Court found him guilty of preparing terrorist acts – namely of attempting to travel to Syria – on Tuesday. He will be sentenced at the same court on April 28.
In a common matter, Scotland Yard’s former Counter-Terrorism Chief revealed that he lies awake worrying about a mass casualty attack in London, as he issued a new warning about the threat posed by radicalization in prisons.
In press statements published by “Evening Standard” website, Commander Richard Walton said that the danger of a marauding firearms attack in the capital was a “constant anxiety” to police and the intelligence services.
He also expressed concern about the potential ability of the large number of extremists in prison to radicalize vulnerable inmates and use their new criminal contacts to obtain guns.
Ministers and police have cited the limited availability of firearms in Britain as one key advantage in this country’s efforts to protect the public, despite a recent counter-terrorism and National Crime Agency operation in which more than 800 illegal weapons were discovered in four weeks.
A joint initiative, led by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism (NCTP) command, was the largest multi-agency program that has ever been mounted.
Police have seized more than 800 potentially lethal weapons during a month-long operation designed to prevent terrorists and criminals gaining access to illegal firearms, amid fears of a Paris-style gun attack on the streets of Britain.
As part of the initiative, officers encouraged the public to report information and, as a result, received more than 160 tips via Crimestoppers, which combined with other sources led to an average of 55 intelligence reports every day into the operations room.
Moreover, Walton said that people who have gone to Syria, returning foreign militants, are the super-terrorists.
“They are the terrorists who actually know what they are doing. They are the terrorists who have fought, who have been trained, who can organize complex attacks, that’s why they are particularly dangerous.”