The Old Bailey, London. Image: LMMNews

A 19 year old youth from Camberwell has gone on trial at the Old Bailey accused of planning to behead a British soldier in London.

The prosecution alleges Brusthom Ziamani wanted to emulate the murderers  of Fusilier Lee Rigby.

It’s alleged he was arrested in East London last year carrying a 12-inch knife and hammer in a rucksack when on his way to carry out an attack.

The jury was told they would hear evidence he’d been researching the location of army cadet bases in Lewisham and Blackheath.

Prosecutor Annabel Darlow said he’d ‘reverted’ to Islam earlier last year.

The court heard he’d shown his former girlfriend the weapons and described Lee Rigby’s killer Michael Adebolajo as a ‘legend.’

It’s alleged he was ‘willing to die in the cause of Allah.’

Ms Darlow said he informed a security officer at his remand prison that he was on his way to kill a soldier on the day of his arrest:

He said that he was going to behead the soldier and hold that soldier’s head up in the air so that a friend could take a photograph with the severed head of the soldier.

You may think that his aim was to emulate the dubious feats of his hero Michael Adebolajo, who had murdered a British soldier close to the Woolwich barracks where he worked.

Ziamani pleads not guilty to preparing an act of terrorism on or before August 20 last year.

The trial’s expected to last a fortnight.