Jihadi husband and wife jailed for 26 years over Birmingham terror plot

A jihadist husband and wife who argued about who was the more radical have been jailed for a total of 26 years for plotting a terrorist attack on British streets.

Madihah Taheer, 21, was found guilty of supporting her husband Ummariyat Mirza's plan to carry out an attack in Birmingham. His 23-year-old sister, Zainub Mirza, was jailed for sending terrorist propaganda videos.

A jury at Woolwich Crown Court heard how Taheer bought a large hunting knife and a lifelike dummy for her husband to practise on.

When officers raided their home, the dummy was found with slash marks on the forehead and across the throat and abdomen. Mirza was also found to have researched potential targets on his phone.

Messages between the pair read out in court also showed the couple would argue who was the bigger extremist.

On 12 March, 2015 Taheer wrote to him: "I saw a pic of our khalifa [leader] months before u did therefor I am more radical". Mirza replied: "I'm more radical than u, I took u in. I introduced u to Isis and Twitter and jihad. Ur my student."

The court also heard of messages sent between the pair before they were married in which Taheer wrote: "Can we get married already ffs. I want u to kill ppl for me. I have a list."

Mirza replied: "The day of nikkah [marriage] I'll kill em all. Give me the list. The only thing that stops me is we are not married. I will defo I'm not joking."

Mirza was jailed for 16 years and Taheer for 10 years.

Mirza's sister admitted to sending him a steady supply of terrorist material, including Isis beheading videos, footage of hostages being drowned in a fish tank and a man holding two severed heads. She was jailed for 30 months.