Man Jailed For Plotting To Bomb Mosque In Revenge For Manchester Terror Attack

Man Jailed For Plotting To Bomb Mosque In Revenge For Manchester Terror Attack

Steven Bishop, 43, has been jailed for four years at Kingston Crown
Court for plotting to bomb a Mosque in revenge for a Manchester Arena
terror attack victim he became fixated on.

The extremist had become fixated on 8-year-old Saffie-Rose
Roussos, the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena terror attack, and
he took it upon himself to avenge her death.

When Bishop, a jobless drug addict,  was arrested by counter-terror police, he had instructions on how to build explosives.

He had researched the Manchester, London Bridge and Paris terror
attacks using a phone he bought on October 18. He had also repeatedly
searched for memorials to Saffie-Rose Roussos.

Metro UK reports that he claimed he used the dark web to buy
materials for a homemade bomb because the voice of Saffie-Rose had “told
him to”. Bishop was one step away from creating an explosive to attack
Morden Mosque when he was arrested following a tip-off after he revealed
his plans to his key worker.

Five days before police raided his home and found tampered fireworks,
a detonator and fuse on October 29, last year, Bishop had gone on
Facebook to declare that “something bad is going happen soon.”

On October 23 last year, Bishop made a £40 donation to the Manchester
Emergency Fund with the comment: “So sad that this happened to little
kids.”

He made a second donation for the same amount on the same day with
the comment: “I’m in love with my buitiful Saffie god bless you xx.”

Bishop also searched the “Find a Grave” website looking for where
Saffie-Rose was laid to rest He commented “god bless little Saffie” on a
Facebook video called “Standing for Britain” which featured some of the
victims of the Manchester attack, adding: “Don’t worry something bad is
going to happen soon mark my words.”

Detectives discovered he had also researched explosive detonators,
made a set of handwritten notes and searched online for the Morden
mosque.

Bishop, who has a history of mental health problems, was arrested on
October 29, 2018 after he showed one of his key workers images of
objects he said he was collecting to build ‘a bomb’ to target a mosque.

Bishop received a four-year jail sentence for having explosive
substances with intent to endanger life; two years concurrent for
possession of information likely to be useful to a person preparing an
act of terrorism; and a day concurrent for breach of a conditional
discharge given to him following the racially aggravated assault,
according to Metro.

Speaking outside court, Bishop’s younger brother Michael Bishop, 34,
said: “He’s a lovely, lovely human being. He’s got the mental capacity
of a seven-year-old. He’s not aggressive – he’s like a toddler kicks and
screams.

“His words and actions have created this snowball effect. A prison
environment for my brother – will that benefit him? No. An environment
in a psychiatric ward? Potentially.”

In a statement issued by Baitul Futuh Mosque, National President
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK Rafiq Hayat welcomed the verdict on the
case and said it sends a strong message that hate will not be accepted.”