Thread by @lizziedearden

The Reading attacker described himself as a “bit Muslim and Catholic” to police after converting to Christianity, a court has heard

Khairi Saadallah had repeatedly shouted “Allahu akbar” as he murdered three victims and spoke afterwards of jihad

independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/…

Prosecutors allege that the Reading attack was motivated by “extremist Islamic ideology”, and are calling for a judge to impose a rare whole-life prison term

Saadallah has admitted charges of murder and attempted murder but denies committing an act of terrorism

The Old Bailey heard that he had converted to Christianity more than a year before the attack,previously worshipped at a church and had a cross tattooed on his leg

He once told a probation officer the Bible was “keeping the devil out of my head and keeping the angels in my head”

The defence argued that while he had a “fleeting or occasional interest” in Islamist ideology, it was not the motive for the attack

Witnesses heard Saadallah shouting “Allahu akbar” during the stabbing and phrases including “victory on infidels” and “Allah accept my jihad”

Saadallah had associated with notorious Islamist hate preacher Omar Brooks, known as Abu Izzadeen, while serving a prison sentence at HMP Bullingdon between 2016 and 2017

Images on his phone from the days before the attack included an Isis flag, the 9/11 attacks and Libyan war

Prosecutoe Alison Morgan QC said that if there were no ideological grounds for the attack, she “would question how it was that Saadallah came to murder three people he did not know, and attempt to murder three others, in a sustained attack while making the utterances he did”

Mr Justice Sweeney will rule whether the attack was committed for a religious, political or ideological cause - i.e. a terror attack - and to what degree Saadallah's mental state influenced his actions, at a sentencing hearing on Monday

Prosecutors want a rare whole life term