Terror suspect used Twitter account to glorify terrorist beheadings, court told
Ajmal Shahpal, from Nottingham, is alleged to have praised the killer of French school teacher Samuel Paty for being “as brave as a lion”, and lauded a terrorist who launched a 2020 attack near the former offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine as a “holy warrior”.
Shahpal tweeted: “Whoever is a Muslim or a disbeliever, if he insults or abuses the Holy Prophet (PBUH), it is obligatory to kill him.
“And my opinion is that he must not be given respite to repent. He must be killed immediately. The blasphemer has no right to live for a moment. The only punishment for the blasphemer is death.”
Opening the Crown’s case against Shahpal, prosecutor Dan Pawson-Pounds said: “This is a case about terrorism, that is the encouragement by this defendant of others to commit acts of terrorism.
I hope that I hardly need say that this is not a case about mainstream Islam – a worldwide, peaceful religion with nearly two billion followers.
The focus of this case is on the beliefs and the actions of the defendant, and others he was in contact with or referred to, that is part of that tiny, tiny minority of Muslims who have used religion to justify violence against others.
The trial continues.