An alleged jihadist rapper was caught on CCTV at a takeaway restaurant during lockdown discussing sword attack plans with his brother, the Old Bailey has heard.
Sahayb Abu, 27, allegedly bought an 18ins gladiator-style sword, a combat vest, two balaclavas, fingerless gloves and a military hat as part of his plot, jurors heard.
The rap fan from Dagenham, East London, had also allegedly researched foreign embassies in London, including the US, Israeli, Indian, Russian and Saudi consulates.
His older brother, Muhamed Abu, 32, from South Norwood, London, is accused of failing to inform police of his brother’s plans after the pair were caught on CCTV where prosecutors say they browsed swords on an iPad.
Sahayb Abu, 27, (wearing a cap) and Muhamed Abu, 32, entering Bims fast food restaurant on Ilford Lane, East London in July. The Old Bailey heard that while inside the brothers used an iPad to search for knives and swords on the internet
Sahayb Abu, 27, in one of a series of homemade videos he sent to his 32-year-old brother Muhamed Abu on June 30 last year, which was shown at the Old Bailey
On July 1, Sahayb and Muhamed entered Bims fast food restaurant on Ilford Lane, East London.
As they walked into the restaurant at 8.09pm, Mohamed could be seen taking out his iPad, John McGuinness QC, prosecuting, told the trial.
Between 8.20pm and 8.22pm, Mohamed appeared to be standing behind a screen at the back of the restaurant using the device.
Data later retrieved by police showed that at 8.22pm, the iPad had been used to search for Qama knife and Windlass Qama SBG sword forum, where there were reviews of the item Sahayb had bought.
Later that evening, Muhamed searched for the attempted knife attack by Sudesh Amman in Streatham on February 20 in which he had been shot dead by undercover police.
Between 11.49pm and 12.42am, both Sahayb and Muhamed used the internet to search for a series of ISIS and al-Qaeda videos, including, Islamic State videos of Syria 2016-2017, Halab Wilayah [Aleppo Province].
The Crown say Sahayb continued his searches early into the next morning, July 2, between 1.57am and 3.26am.
He went on to look at terrorist attacks in France and Germany, including the killing of police officer and his partner by Larossi Abballa in June 2016.
The jury were also played voice recordings which Sahayb sent to his elder brother on June 28.
He is heard rapping: ‘No matter the way the wind blows, I will always be down with my bros, I will always be ready to eliminate their foes, yah akhi [brother], I will always be ready to eliminate their foes.’
Less than half an hour later, he used Amazon to buy two balaclavas, a combat hat, and a pair of fingerless gloves costing £40.50 from his benefits payments, jurors heard.
Posing as ‘Billy T’ he also spent £40 on a Kevlar combat body armour, using a website called Shpock to buy it from a private seller called Stephen S.
Two days later, on June 30, Sahayb posed in the hat and balaclava in a series of three short videos sent to his brother.
In the first, at 1.56pm, Sahayb rapped: ‘Bad man hat, that’s hard still and I can wear it on the road too because everyone’s doing this facemask thing. You looking at me, you looking at me? Boom.’
The last video clip, a 3.03pm, showed Sahayb, in a balaclava, saying: ‘Guess who? Yeh, there’s this one that covers the mouth and got a slit for the mouth. It do the job, it do the job, it do the job still, know what I’m saying?’
At 7.08am the next morning, July 1, Sahayb sent his brother a still image of himself in the hat and a mask with the words: ‘Strike fear in fakes, there’s an epidemic so I say, no face no case, kuffar [non-believer] women clutch their purse, like who’s this nutcase?’
At 1.44pm that day, prosecutors say Sahayb bought a Qama ceremonial knife, said to resemble a Gladiator’s short sword, paying £57.45.
It was his second attempt, after his first, two days earlier, was foiled when an identity check forced him to admit he was using a false name.
Sahayb Abu, 27, wearing a military-style hat and face-covering. He bought an 18 inch gladiator-style sword, a combat vest, two balaclavas, fingerless gloves and a combat hat as he allegedly prepared his attack last year
A fourth and final video followed at 4.37pm, in which Sahayb in the hat and mask rapped: ‘Burst it off, militant breh, militant wear, camo camo, body armour stop a bullet, boom.’
Prosecutors say he went on to buy another knife, this time a Rolson folding lock back knife, using the Amazon account of his younger brother, Suraaka Aweys, at 4.55pm.
In a conversation with his younger brother, Suraaka, on the evening of July 3 Sahayb said: ‘Wallahi Wabillahi wa tallahi I pray to Allah and I aspire not to live to be 30 bithnillah [god willing]. F**k that!
’30 and do what??? Get married and eat food, wallahi a dog would do something if his owner was attacked. The kuffar have felt their share of pain I just wish it was multiplied a million fold.’
But he added: ‘Failing means prison, prison means losing faith getting into madness, losing your mind, many many things. You have to be successful.’
Sahayb recorded a rap about the London mayor Sadiq Khan and the killing of Fusilier Lee Rigby, which he sent to his brother Muhamed at 12.52am on July 6, jurors heard.
The defendant rapped: ‘One day I was sitting by myself, felt so low picked the Koran off the shelf, started reading chapter 12, next thing you know shaytan [Satan] creeped up on the stealth, whispered in my ear about women and mass wealth, so I boxed him in his face as he ran back to Beverly Hills.
‘Bare akhis [lots of brothers] out here losing his souls, telling me big man your missing out on the world, but akhi if I’m missing out on the world then why did [inaudible] sell it for himself, why did Sahayb suffer to rid kuffar [non-believers] of the land?
‘Who are you if the Prophet got wounded for the sake of Islam, enough jokes and fun, why did Sumayah take a spear to the lung?
‘Is it so Sadiq Khan can become Mayor of London? Sadiq Khan’s a sell out and a kaffir if I ever saw one, and one thing that I don’t understand, all these brothers, all these sisters running round with leggings and hijab, Instagram feeds, lied to themselves.
‘I wonder have they got marra bodies burning in Iraq, they want me to vote Saj, fam don’t chat to me about no Ghandi Islam or no sufi Islam, I’m trying to see many Lee Rigby’s heads rolling on the ground.
‘Man I shoot up a crowd cos I’m a night stalker, got my shank got my guns straight ISIS supporter, reject democracy under severe [inaudible] advocate sharia supporter.
‘Five times a day my lord supplicator, and my RPG through the armoured Humvee of a crusader invader.
‘Ya Allah destroy the Saudi traitors and the shia innovators, Allah arrest him my shank [knife] penetrate ya, got my suicide vest one click boom and I’ll see you later.’
Sahayb Aweys Munye Abu, 27, was arrested by officers from the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command during the raids in London and Leicestershire on July 9. Pictured: One of the raids in London
A squad of officers burst into a house on Ilfracombe Gardens in Goodmayes, Redbridge, during the arrests last year, while another armed squad raided a property near Green Lane by Goodmayes Park
During the three months before his arrest, it is claimed that Sahayb Abu made 110 searches for Islamic State.
In one post from May 27, Abu wrote: ‘I, as a Muslim, will be the first to tell you that Islam is for war, hostage taking, killing infidels, fighting tyranny, taking war booty, taking women of the enemy as concubines.’
In messages allegedly exchanged on the same day with his brothers, Abu added: ‘Boris is going to do well for the ummah [Muslim nation] and he doesn’t even know it.
‘His treachery, stupidity and deceit will cause major riots and economic strife to this country to the extent they’re gonna have to set up a Go Fund Me account for their crusade wars against the ummah of Muhammad.’
He is said to have saved Osama bin Laden’s ‘letter to America’ from November 2002, two months after 9/11, which justified the killing of civilians.
On May 21, Muhamed used the internet to look up Khalid Masood, the killer of PC Keith Palmer in a vehicle and knife attack in Westminster in March 2017, the court heard.
The same day, Sahayb allegedly saved mocked-up images on Whatsapp of Big Ben on fire, the US Capitol in flames, and a burning EU flag.
The Abu brothers were arrested following an operation involving the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command at their London addresses in July 2020.
When interviewed by police, Sahayb Abu is said to have denied being a supporter of IS.
He allegedly told officers he bought the 18 inch blade because it ‘looked cool’.
Sahayb Abu, of Dagenham, east London, denies preparation of terrorist acts.
Muhamed Abu, of South Norwood, south-east London, denies failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism.