19-year-old Haroon Ali Syed meant to nail bomb crowds at an Elton John performance and Buckingham Palace, The Sun reports.
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He is due to appear in court Tuesday afternoon.
The Sun reports that 19-year-old Haroon Ali-Syed, a resident of West London, was arrested September 8 on charges of preparing acts of terrorism.
While the planned concert went off without a hitch, Ali-Syed also researched other sites to attack, including Buckingham Palace and a busy street in London’s commercial district.
During a hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court, prosecutors said Ali-Syed attempted to obtain weapons online, including an explosive device, with a view to launching an assault on a busy area of the British capital. However, his plans were thwarted when he contacted an undercover police officer online.
“This defendant was attempting to carry out a terror attack on the scale of 7/7 or something like that”, said Prosecutor Thomas Halpin.
The man, 61, was held at around 4.10pm on suspicion of “possessing an article for a goal connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism”.
He spoke only to confirm his name, age and address.
The West London resident will remain in custody until his next hearing on September 19.
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Two men arrested at the same time were released on police bail pending further investigation.
