St. Paul’s Cathedral and a nearby hotel in London were the recent targets of a bomb plot by the Islamic State terrorist group.
Safiyya Amira Shaikh of West London was arrested last week on charges of preparing acts of terrorism and spreading ISIS propaganda, according to court documents. The 36-year-old woman was accused of looking at St. Paul’s, which was consecrated originally as Old St. Paul’s Cathedral in 1300, as well as a London hotel for possible locations in which to place explosives.
Prosecutors in the Westminster magistrates’ court claimed that Shaikh made contact with an individual who could prepare explosive devices for her to use in carrying out terrorist plots. They also said between Aug. 19 and Oct. 10, Shaikh prepared words of a pledge of allegiance to ISIS, also known as Daesh, and shared ISIS documents through the encrypted Telegram messaging service.
St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of the most iconic structures in the city of London and was the site of several high-profile events in modern history, including the funerals of Sir Winston Churchill, Baroness Margaret Thatcher, and the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Civilian defense brigades protected the church during the London Blitz in World War II to ensure that German bombers did not destroy it. Sitting at one of the highest points in the city on Ludgate Hill, St. Paul’s continues to be one of the city’s most popular tourist destinations.
Terrorist activity in London has been a concern for many years, with several deadly attacks carried out by extremists including a 2005 bombing of the Underground subway service that left 52 dead and over 700 injured.
