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Leeds Terror Trial Opens With Claims of Mustard Gas Instructions and Meadowhall Scoping

The defendant denies all charges, with evidence and witness testimony to follow.

Overview

  • Prosecutors told the jury that police found handwritten notes with violent instructions and a separate list they say outlined how to make sulphur mustard, which an expert assessed as a viable chemical blister agent.
  • Counter-terror officers allegedly recovered a crossbow and a knife during a raid on the 21-year-old’s home in Howden, East Yorkshire, after social-media activity drew attention.
  • Jurors were shown Instagram content the prosecution attributes to the defendant, including Islamic State propaganda and a beheading video, with an account using the handle Anglo Jihadi.
  • The prosecution says Richardson discussed Meadowhall near Sheffield as a potential target and posted a video of the shopping complex, and argued the mustard gas described could be loaded into a grenade.
  • The court heard allegations that he expressed antisemitic intent, searched how to volunteer for Hamas, and joked about entering a synagogue wearing a suicide vest; he told police upon arrest on December 19 that he was not a threat.