Mother and Two Daughters Found Guilty of All-female Isis London Terror Attack Plot

A British mother and her two daughters are due to be sentenced for plotting to commit terrorist attacks on the streets of London.

Mina Dich, 44, previously pleaded guilty along with her 22-year-old daughter Rizlaine Boular of preparation of terrorist acts following their arrest last April. Dich's other daughter, Safaa Boular, 18, has now been found guilty following a trial at London's Old Bailey court of two counts of preparation of terrorist acts.

During the trial, the court heard how Safaa Boular had been planning to travel to Syria to marry a British Islamic State (Isis) militant. When her plan was foiled by authorities, she turned her attention to planning a gun and grenade terror attack at London's British Museum after staying in contact with the Isis fighter she planned to marry.

The investigation was launched by Metropolitan Police in August 2016 after officers spoke to the then 16-year-old Safaa Boular on her return from Morocco to the UK, where she indicated she was planning to travel to Syria to join Isis.

Two days later, Dich reported that both her children were missing, before they were eventually found at a hostel in north-west London. Both admitted that they were planning to travel to Syria, but only to live peacefully and not carry out any terrorist acts, police said.

Following their arrest, the sisters had their phones and other digital devices seized. Officers then found several conversations between Safaa Boular and the British Isis fighter in Syria, including discussions about her wearing a suicide belt. Safaa Boular was also found to be sharing and supporting Isis propaganda online.

The 18-year-old was subsequently arrested and charged with terror offenses. While out on police bail, Safaa Boular began planning to commit her terror attack.

However, the people she was discussing her plans with online were not fellow extremists, but undercover operatives from the British security services.

During these conversations, which she believed were encrypted and secure, the teenager discussed her plans to get hold of firearms and grenades—or "pineapples" as she referred to them—to use for a London attack.

While out on bail, Safaa Boular discussed with her sister and mother about committing a terror attack in the U.K., using the code word "tea party."

While under surveillance on April 26, 2017, Dich and Rizlaine Boular purchased knives from a supermarket. The previous day, the pair drove around various major landmarks in central London's Westminster area, with officers believing them to be scouting out potential locations for their attack.

On 27 April, Rizlaine Boular was heard discussing how she would carry out a knife attack with her friend Khawla Barghouthi, 21, at her home in north-west London. Police later stormed the address and arrested the pair before later detaining the mother.

Barghouthi previously pleaded guilty to having information about acts of terrorism. Following Safaa Boular's guilty verdict, all four members in the female terror-cell will be sentenced at a later date.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon said: "This investigation started with Safaa, and her attempts to travel out to Syria, marry a Daesh [Isis] fighter and support their terrorist activity. Having been prevented from traveling to Syria, she then set about plotting an attack in the U.K. but her plans were being covered by the counter terrorism network and security services.

"After Safaa was arrested and charged, her mother and sister tried to pick up where she left off. But again, working with the security services, we tracked their plans and stopped them before they were able to put them into practice.

"All three women were filled with hate and toxic ideology and were determined to carry out a terrorist attack. Had they been successful, it could well have resulted in people being killed or seriously injured.

"But thanks to the work of the security services and counter terrorism police, their plans never came to fruition."