Kazi Islam convicted and sentenced for grooming a man with learning difficulties to carry out terrorist attacks. Image: Met Police

A 19-year-old man from Newham has been sentenced to eight years detention for preparing to commit acts of terrorism.

This included planning to make a ‘pipe bomb’ and hatching a plot to murder members of the armed forces.

Kazi Islam from Meanley Road, Manor Park, E12 received eight years in a Young Offenders Institute at the Old Bailey.

He tried to persuade 19-year-old Harry Thomas to buy the ingredients for a pipe bomb and to attack one or more soldiers with a kitchen knife or meat cleaver on his command.

He encouraged the older youth to start calling himself Haroon instead of Harry and attempted to radicalise him with stories of innocent children murdered by military forces.

Islam’s schemes were foiled when Mr Thomas failed to buy any of the right ingredients for a bomb and let slip to ‘a few friends’ what they were up to.

Officers from SO15 searched the addresses he used and seized for forensic analysis several phones and computers.

They found evidence of the way he tried to influence and bully his terrorist protege.

Islam had visited websites and downloaded instructions on how to make IEDs.

Detectives also found details of conversations where Islam encouraged and tried to incite Harry Thomas to carry out an attack on members of the armed forces.

Commander Richard Walton, Head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) said:

Islam groomed and bullied a vulnerable man to try and get him to make a bomb or attack soldiers.

We were able to intervene early on this occasion and prevent what we believe would have been an act of terrorism in the UK.

We continue to appeal to anyone who may have knowledge of people with similar intentions. The earliest we can intervene to prevent terrorism the better.

We also remind the public that there is currently a need to protect vulnerable or impressionable adults or children from this brand of Islamic extremism.