Man jailed over shopping centre terror plot

A man described as a self-styled "anglo jihadi" has been jailed for life after planning a terror attack.

Muslim convert Jordan Richardson, of Oliver Close, Howden, East Yorkshire, was planning an "atrocity", with possible targets including Meadowhall shopping centre, near Sheffield, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Richardson had joked about wearing a suicide vest in a synagogue, had bought a crossbow and was carrying instructions on how to make mustard gas when he was arrested in December 2024.

The 21-year-old was handed a discretionary life sentence and told he must serve a minimum term of 16 years by a judge who said he had "a genuine ideological commitment to violent jihad".

Passing sentence, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said: "The nature, frequency and persistence of your posts make me sure you intended to use the crossbow and knife in a terrorist attack in the United Kingdom.

"But for the disruptive actions of counter terrorism police you would have committed that attack within weeks.

"Your firm intention was to carry out violent action to further the aims of Islamic State, knowing this would lead to the deaths of others."

The judge said Richardson had converted to Islam after splitting up with his girlfriend and attended a mosque in Goole on a weekly basis.

The court was told Richardson had expressed allegiance to Islamic State in prison, with Cheema-Grubb saying he was "not on the path to deradicalisation".

Richardson was convicted in November on charges of preparing for acts of terrorism, the collection of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism and distributing terrorist publications.

During his trial, it was revealed Richardson's online searches included "Does Isis recruit on Instagram?" and his social media posts depicted him shooting a crossbow and smashing a statue of Buddha.

The former receptionist claimed his behaviour was a form of fantasy and escape from the rest of his life, where he felt depressed and isolated, and he was "role playing the character of an extremist".

However, prosecutors said he "wasn't just an online fantasist" but an extremist who was "going to put his jihadi fantasies into reality".

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