UK Man Who Converted to Islam Charged With Plotting Bomb and Chemical Attack at Major Shopping Centre

Image: Jihad Watch

A gym receptionist who styled himself as the “Anglo Jihadi” has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of plotting a large-scale bomb and chemical weapons attack on a major shopping centre.

Jordan Richardson, 21, a Muslim convert from Howden in East Yorkshire, was convicted after counter-terrorism officers discovered he was actively preparing for a mass-casualty attack. His arrest came after police found a handwritten recipe for mustard gas in his rucksack — a highly toxic chemical warfare agent historically used during the First World War.

Richardson was detained on 19 December 2024 while travelling to work in the nearby town of Goole. A search of his belongings revealed disturbing handwritten notes outlining a detailed and violent attack plan. One note instructed him to find a concealed vantage point, put on a gas mask and outfit, load a crossbow, throw grenades into a crowd, shoot bystanders, and stab anyone who approached, with explicit instructions not to be taken alive.

A second note contained a list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions for producing mustard gas, a blister agent capable of causing severe injury or death if inhaled. Prosecutors told the court that the presence of these instructions demonstrated a clear intention to deploy chemical weapons as part of the planned attack.

At Leeds Crown Court, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb made clear that the plot was in an advanced stage. In sentencing Richardson, she told him: “But for the disruptive action of counter-terrorism police you would have committed that act within weeks.” The judge emphasized that the scale and brutality of the intended attack could have resulted in catastrophic loss of life.

Jurors heard that Richardson had become increasingly isolated in the period leading up to his arrest. His mother had moved away, he had separated from his girlfriend, and he spent much of his time alone in his flat, playing Xbox and engaging in online conversations. Investigators said this isolation coincided with growing online radicalisation.

A search of his home uncovered a combat knife in a sheath, a crossbow purchased online, and 11 crossbow bolts. Police also found evidence linking him to extremist material, including access to an ISIS bomb-making video previously associated with the Manchester Arena bomber. The video provided instructions on manufacturing TATP, a highly unstable and powerful explosive.

The court heard that Richardson had carried out extensive research into explosives and chemical agents, identified potential targets, and taken concrete steps toward executing an attack. Prosecutors argued that this went far beyond online extremism and amounted to real-world operational planning.

Richardson was found guilty of preparing acts of terrorism through the acquisition of weapons, researching explosive substances, scouting potential locations, and planning the logistics of an attack. He was also convicted on three counts of encouraging terrorism and two counts of possessing bomb-making instructions for terrorist purposes.

The case highlights the continued threat posed by lone-actor extremists and the critical role of counter-terrorism policing in disrupting plots before they can be carried out.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)