As a white, British A-level student, the 17-year-old boy on trial for plotting mass murder in Cardiff did “not look like how you expected a terrorist to look,” the jury was told.
But over the course of his nine-day trial at Birmingham Crown Court, they learned Lloyd Gunton had become radicalised online and was planning a “lone wolf” attack in the name of Islam.
The court heard he was arrested “within hours of committing an act of atrocity on the streets of Cardiff” and his social media accounts featured pictures of terrorists and posts about a terrorist attacks. But what led him to take such action?
Gunton lived with his parents in the Llantrisant area of south Wales. In late June 2017, he began posting material on photo-sharing social media site Instagram, promoting jihad and supporting Al-Qaeda.
He published images of terrorists, as well as pictures of the so-called Islamic State flag, and photos encouraging a terrorist attack in Cardiff. The posts came to the attention of police, who swooped on his home, searched his belongings and seized his mobile phone and laptop.