- Lloyd Gunton, 17, planned a massacre at Cardif stadium on the day of a concert
- He trawled the internet looking for advice on how to carry out a terror attack
- When police raided his home they found a claw hammer and knife in his bag
- They also found a letter in his room that read: 'I am a soldier of the Islamic State'
- He was jailed for at least 11 years today as a judge took the step of naming him
A 17-year-old boy who planned an ISIS-inspired vehicle attack at a Justin Bieber concert after posting chilling messages on Instagram has been jailed for life.
Lloyd Gunton, from the Rhondda Cynon Taf area of South Wales, was arrested at his home in June last year, hours after searching the internet for details of security at the concert at Cardiff's Principality Stadium.
Posts he put online show a jeep, knife and ISIS flag at Cardiff castle and suicide bomber's vest with the word 'Cardiff' underneath it.
The court heard the boy uploaded the image of Cardiff castle with a caption, 'Cardiff are you prepared?', with a picture of a jeep, knife and a bomb.
Gunton was jailed for life with a minimum term of 11 years today. A judge took the step of naming him, despite his age.
A 17-year-old who planned an ISIS-inspired attack at a Justin Bieber concert in Cardiff posted this chilling image online
The teenager also posted this image of a suicide bomber's belt with the word Cardiff
Ordering Gunton to be detained at Her Majesty's pleasure, Judge Mark Wall QC told the former A-level student: 'At the time of your arrest you were within hours of committing an act of atrocity on the streets of Cardiff.
'It is not possible to estimate how many people would have been murdered or seriously injured by your actions as the attack was foiled before you could undertake it.
'I am sure that you planned not just the killing of one person but rather mass murder.'
Gunton was convicted of preparing for terrorist acts after a nine-day trial at Birmingham Crown Court last November. He was also convicted of two counts of encouraging terrorism by posting extremist material on Instagram, and two charges of possessing Isis propaganda magazines.
Jurors were told Gunton hid a hammer and knife in his school bag and wrote a 'martyrdom letter' after being radicalised online.
At the start of the trial it emerged that the boy had written a note apparently aimed for distribution after his death reading: 'I am a soldier of the Islamic State and I have attacked Cardiff today because your government keep on bombing targets in Syria and Iraq. There will be more attacks in the future.'
Gunton had a claw hammer and a knife in his school bag when police raided the home he shares with his parents in south Wales
Justin Bieber, pictured in a file photo, was playing at the city's Principality Stadium
Cardiff's Castle quarter was among the areas researched by the boy using Google maps, while other searches sought details of a shopping centre, the city's Central Library and the New Theatre.
Sue Hemming from the CPS said: 'Lloyd Gunton's behaviour over many months leaves no doubt that he intended to kill and maim as many people as possible in an attack reminiscent of the incident on Westminster Bridge.
'He was also posting extremist content online that could have encouraged others to commit terrorist acts and downloading instructions on how to carry out "lone wolf" attacks.
'The CPS presented overwhelming evidence that he was prepared to die for Daesh's extremist worldview and he must now face the consequences of his actions.'
The boy also had a 'martyrdom letter' in his schoolbag (pictured) which read: 'I am a soldier of the Islamic State'
During the course of the trial, Matthew Brook, prosecuting, said: 'His interest in suicide evolved over time into an intention to commit a suicide attack in the name of Islam.
'The defendant told the police in his interview that he had been conversing with someone called Al Baghdadi over Instagram. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is the leader of ISIS.
'He searched '17 year old Jihad', Holy War, the defendant when making that search was 17 years of age.
'On June 15 - 'Vehicle mounting pavement', 'car ploughs through a crowd', 'Google maps - Castle quarter, Cardiff'.'
The court also heard the boy may have been planning to attack Cardiff Castle (pictured)
Mr Brook added: 'What legitimate reason could the defendant have for searching that? The Crown say none.
'This, the Crown say, is attack planning - looking for areas in Cardiff where there are lots of people you can attack.'
Another of the boy's online posted was captioned: 'Oh my Islamic state brothers you are the role models of these worlds.
'The attack on Cardiff will be deadly. May the infidels be hit by vehicles and in the name of Allah may the blood be shed of non-believers.
'Stop bombing the homeland Theresa May. May Allah bring terrorism to Cardiff on June 30, 2017.'
The boy had denied terror charges but was convicted at Birmingham Crown Court last year
Mr Brook added: 'This is a post to the world by the defendant encouraging terrorism.
'On June 28 at 10.10am there was this defendant searching 'Justin Bieber Cardiff 2017' and 'Justin Bieber Cardiff security'.
'So the defendant in that search is interested in what security will be like for a large public event which was going to take place the following day.
'This is in context of course of all his terrorist searches, his threats on Instagram about Cardiff being attacked on 30th, the knife and hammer in his bag, and of course the martyrdom letter as well.
'We've seen that the defendant had an unhealthy interest in terrorism and IS for many, many months; not just a week before his arrest.
'He was preparing for a lone wolf style attack, which involved him attacking innocent by-standers with a knife and hammer.'
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