Life for ‘lone wolf’ terrorist who planned to attack mosque and bookshop

From the Birmingham Mail

A ‘lone wolf’ terrorist who planned to attack a mosque and a bookshop in Birmingham has been handed a life sentence. Jason Savage converted to Islam in the 2010s and followed an extreme and violent interpretation of the Salafi movement.

The 35-year-old targeted a Salafi cleric associated with a Small Heath mosque and bookstore because the target was an outspoken critic of Islamist terrorism and extremism.

Video issued by West Midlands Police showed Savage on a reconnaissance mission three days before his arrest. . . walk(ing) around the location of the mosque and bookstore, discussing points of entry, the routes the police would likely attend from and escape routes.  Savage also downloaded and watched violent and extremist videos, researched how to kill with a knife and how to make parts of a gun and ammunition. He also scouted out military buildings and police stations as potential locations.

Days before his arrest, Savage changed his Whatsapp profile to ‘Lone Wolf’. . . In a voice note to a friend – in fact an undercover officer- he told him he would “see him in paradise” as he expected to die in the terror attack.

Savage, from Fourth Avenue, Small Heath, was convicted following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court earlier this year. He was ordered to serve at least 16 years at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday, Friday, April 11.

Head of Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands, Det Chief Supt Alison Hurst said: “Many arrests carried out for terrorism suspects are pre-planned, however the arrest of Savage was conducted in a street during an evening as we had become increasingly concerned around his behaviour.”