A teenage extremist who bought an illicit firearm and planned to target Old Trafford and Manchester Arena as well as local schools has been jailed for 13 years.
Muhammad Billal, 19, from Nelson, Lancashire purchased the gun on a secret online forum and researched shooting ranges and crowded places before attempting to join the Islamic State, using the cover of a football fan travelling abroad.
He was advised to put footballers on his phone and then searched online for ‘Ronaldo wallpaper’ – a reference to the Portuguese player – in an attempt to fool the authorities while trying to leave the UK.
However Billal
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