Birmingham man found guilty of terrorism offences

Jason Savage, 35, from Small Heath, was found guilty of planning an attack against a mosque and a bookshop

Author: Amelia SalmonsPublished 30th Jan 2025
Last updated 30th Jan 2025

A Birmingham man has been found guilty of planning an attack against a mosque and a bookshop in the city.

Jason Savage, 35, from Fourth Avenue, Small Heath, was convicted following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

The jury heard how Savage - since March 2022 and up until his arrest in March 2024 - had researched and planned activity to carry out an attack.

Savage had converted to Islam in the 2010s and followed an extreme and violent interpretation of the Salafi movement.

Prosecutors told the court that Savage had targeted a Salafi cleric associated with a mosque and bookstore in Small Heath because the cleric was an outspoken critic of Islamist terrorism and extremism contrary to Savage’s views.

Knife recovered from Jason Savage's home

"He has been researching violent and extremist behaviour"

Detective Chief Superintendent Alison Hurst, head of the West Midlands Counter-Terrorism Policing Unit, said his plans were detailed:

"We recovered a knife and found he had been researching violence and extremist behaviour, including how to kill someone with a knife.

"He had clearly gone to a lot of trouble scoping out the locations he planned to attack. He even looked into which routes police may take and which routes he could use to escape," she said.

Savage is due to be sentenced on 4 April.

How are West Midlands Police tackling terrorism?

Detective Chief Superintendent Alison Hurst told us about West Midlands Police's counter-terrorism approach:

"We are working with local schools and colleges, hospitals, prisons and community groups. We will use these links to help us to identify vulnerabilities in the community.

"We cannot handle terrorism alone. People in the community need to be vigilent and look out for any changes of behaviour amongst their loved ones.

"They then need to make us aware of this change in behaviour at the earliest opportunity," she said.

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