Jury hears schoolboy with “Islamic extremist mindset” targeted Isle of Wight Music Festival

A young student who converted to Islam contemplated an attack on a music festival on the Isle of Wight in 2022, where singer Lewis Capaldi and rock band Kasabian were set to headline, a jury at Kingston Crown Court has been told.

The boy, who was aged 15 at the time of his arrest, developed an “Islamic extremist mindset” and was flagged for the government’s Prevent programme, the court heard.

The prosecutor explained that the boy, now 16, but not named for legal reasons, sent graphic ISIS videos of beheadings to others online who shared a “similar mindset.”

It was revealed that the FBI alerted British counter-terrorist police after discovering a Discord user discussing an attack on July 11, 2022.

He was subsequently charged with three counts of dissemination of terrorist publications and having an article with a blade or point in a public place. He has denied all the charges.

During the prosecution’s opening statement, it was disclosed that the boy had obtained a knife and searched the internet for terms such as “gun Isle of Wight,” “fast lorry,” and “how many people are going to Isle of Wight Festival gate names.”

The court also heard that the boy had tried to convert his grandmother to Islam and planned to target a specialist education provider instead of the festival.

Staff at the education provider considered referring him to the government’s Prevent anti-radicalization program but dropped the idea after he became angry when he learned about the proposal.

The trial is expected to last several weeks.

PA Media contributed to this report.