Islamic State supporter pleads guilty to St Paul's Cathedral bomb plot

 (Photo: Unsplash/Daniel Roe)

A supporter of the Islamic State has pleaded guilty to plotting a suicide bomb attack on St Paul's Cathedral. 

Saffiya Amira Shaikh, 36, from Hayes, Middlesex, has been remanded in custody until a sentencing hearing on May 12. 

At a hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday, the Muslim convert admitted to preparation of terrorist acts and dissemination of terrorist publications. 

Shaikh's plot was foiled after she disclosed her plans to undercover officers posing as an explosives expert and his wife, Sky News reports. 

It is claimed that she had also gone on a reconnaissance trip to the cathedral and a hotel to scope out where to plant bombs. 

Shaikh was born Michelle Ramsden but changed her name after converting to Islam in 2007. She was radicalised by 2015, Sky News reports. 

News
Traitors’ winner Harry Clark heads to Rome in new BBC documentary exploring faith in modern Britain
Traitors’ winner Harry Clark heads to Rome in new BBC documentary exploring faith in modern Britain

BBC Two and iPlayer are set to air a new one-hour documentary this Easter charting The Traitors’ winner Harry Clark’s personal pilgrimage from Slough to the Vatican

Christians welcome NI decision to pull out of puberty blocker trial
Christians welcome NI decision to pull out of puberty blocker trial

Nesbitt initially indicated that the province would join the trial.

EU Parliament condemns expulsion of foreign Christians in Turkey
EU Parliament condemns expulsion of foreign Christians in Turkey

Turkey has said the EU is interfering in its internal affairs.

Fewer Britons giving something up for Lent as cathedrals invite deeper reflection
Fewer Britons giving something up for Lent as cathedrals invite deeper reflection

The number of Britons giving something up for Lent has fallen sharply over the past decade, according to new research highlighting a significant shift in how the season is observed.