Man admits plot to behead UK Muslim soldier

Source: BBC

A 37-year-old Birmingham man has pleaded guilty to plotting to kidnap and kill a British soldier. Parviz Khan, an unemployed charity worker, intended to seize and behead the unnamed Muslim serviceman, Leicester Crown Court was told.

Three other men, Basiru Gassama, 30, Mohammed Irfan, 31, and Hamid Elasmar, 44, have admitted other offences connected with Khan's plot.

Khan, who also admits intending to supply equipment to terrorists on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, pleaded guilty earlier this month, but his plea can only now be reported as the trial of Mr Mahmood and Mr Iqbal has begun.

Mr Mahmood denies knowing about Khan's plot and failing to disclose information about it, while Mr Iqbal denies possessing a computer disc called Encyclopaedia Jihad, which would be likely to be useful to a terrorist.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7215081.stm

headline should be: Muslim admits plot to behead UK soldier.

I saw one article in which Mr. Mahmood was called a "Briton". Rather like calling an Algerian a "Frenchman", IMHO. I've always had problems with citizenship categories that were ethnicities, and would feel equally queasy talking about a white man who had become a nationalized Kenyan and lived among Kikuyus as a Kikuyu.

What's the British take on "Briton"? Ethnicity, citizenship, or ambiguous between the two (or simply dispreferred as either)?

If he was born in Britain, and holds that citizenship then he's British and is a Briton. Being a Briton is not an ethnicity, it is citizenship.

Whether he likes it or not, and whatever his obviously extreme political views he's British and our laws apply to him.

On another note, its a shame we don't transport prisoners anymore. Should he be found guilty i'd like to see him sent for life to somewhere like the Falklands. Miles from anywhere and populated in the main by sheep and soldiers.

From what I understand, though, the Falklands are having a bit of a boom.

(Personally, being miles from most people would suit me just fine, even if it did mean that my closest 3000 neighbors were all sheep.)

even if he doesn't like it. I would guess that he regards his intended victim as a traitor to Islam for joining the British Army.

If he hates Britain that much I wish he would go elsewhere - well, actually I wish all who hate humanity on acount of their interpretations of their various religions would go to some desert island and either murder each other, or learn to co-operate for survival. Not that long ago in Britain, it was the IRA and the Protestant paramilitary groups connected with Northern Ireland. Somehow I don't think any religion actually orders, "Thou shalt kill!" - but too many people seem to interpret their religions as though they did.

If anything is 'ethnicity' for long-time inhabitants here, it's 'English', 'Welsh' etc.