Jonathan Rees QC Prosecutes Attacker Found Guilty of Attempted Murder after ISIS-inspired Leytonstone Tube Attack.
Jonathan Rees QC appeared at the Old Bailey this week prosecuting 30 year old Muhaydin Mire.
As of this afternoon, Mire has been found guilty of attempted murder following a violent attack at Leytonstone tube last December.
He shouted “this is for my Syrian brothers” as he lunged for random passer-by, Lyle Zimmermann. Mire threw Zimmerman to the floor and kicked him repeatedly before sawing at his throat with a bread knife in an imitation of an ISIS execution. Mire has also been charged with four counts of attempted wounding after lunging at other passengers with the knife.
Mire has a history of mental illness including psychosis, he believed that he was being persecuted for his religion and followed by security services. His family had contacted the local authority three weeks before the attack in order to get help, but were told that Mire was neither a danger to himself or others.
Police recovered images of Lee Rigby, Jihadi John, and material linked to the ISIS on the defendants phone.
Jonathan Rees QC determined that it was ‘no coincidence’ that the attack came 3 days after Parliament had voted to extend the bombing campaign against ISIS to territory in Syria. He said during the trial “the contents of the defendant’s phone, when looked at alongside what he said during the course of the incident … provides an insight as to what motivated the defendant to do what he did and what he was seeking to do to Mr Zimmerman.”
The case was covered widely in the media, click here to read the full story.
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