London Teen Sentenced to Life for Plot to Bomb Elton John Concert

A 19-year-old from west London has been sentenced to life in prison for planning to attack an Elton John concert last year. Haroon Syed pleaded guilty in April to planning the terrorist attack to coincide with the 9/11 anniversary last year. On Monday, a British court handed down a life sentence, with a minimum of 16 years and six months to be served. Syed’s defense argued that the plan was “crude, ill thought-out,” but the judge said Syed posed a significant risk that warranted a life sentence. Syed tried to buy explosives and a bomb vest online to carry out the attack, with the singer’s shows in Hyde Park and Oxford Circus as potential targets. He was caught after trying to buy weapons from British Security Service agents posing as extremists. His arrest follows that of his older brother, Nadir Syed, who was jailed last year for planning a beheading attack in 2014.