Jordan Richardson, from Howden, was sentenced on Thursday (January 29) after being found guilty following a three-week trial at Leeds Crown Court in November.
He will serve a minimum of 16 years.
Self-styled “Anglo Jihadi” Jordan Richardson, who joked about going into a synagogue in a suicide vest, was planning an “atrocity” with a shopping centre among his possible targets, a court heard.
Richardson was first arrested in December 2024 on his way to work in Howden, East Yorkshire, following an operation by Counter Terrorism Policing North East, supported by Humberside Police.
The investigation revealed that Richardson had formulated a detailed attack plan and at the time of his arrest, handwritten notes were found in his backpack which said: “Throw all grenades into crowd; shoot bystanders; stab anyone who comes close; do not get taken alive.”
He told others online that he identified as a terrorist, “regularly expressed a wish to kill Jews”, and that he wished to commit a terrorist attack himself.
Alongside this, police found instructions and ingredients for producing mustard gas, and weapons including a crossbow – bought online for £35.95, along with a pack of 10 crossbow bolts – and a combat-style knife at Richardson’s home.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: “Jordan Richardson claimed that he was role playing as an Islamist terrorist online as escapism from the emotional challenges in his life.
“We welcome the sentence handed down today, which reflects the real-world threat he posed to the public.
“Richardson was drawn to the violent and disturbing online propaganda of the so-called Islamic State, which took him from being a new convert to Islam, to being a committed and dangerous extremist within a few short months.”
The court heard that Richardson had converted to Islam earlier in 2024, and “very quickly became drawn to extremism” – joining an Instagram group where he shared extreme terrorist content.
This included antisemitic and homophobic propaganda, beheading videos from the terrorist group ISIS, and Al-Qaeda bombmaking instructions.
He also searched online for instructions on how to make explosives, discussed possible targets which included a shopping centre, and researched how to travel to locations including Palestine, Syria and Iraq in furtherance of his extreme ideology.
A search of his online activity showed that his Instagram accounts included one with the handle “Anglo Jihadi”, and his possible targets for an attack included Meadowhall shopping centre, near Sheffield.
In November, Richardson was found guilty of preparing for acts of terrorism, two counts of collecting information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, and three counts of distributing terrorist publications.
Jurors were shown a video Richardson posted on Instagram of Meadowhall shopping centre, followed by a brightly coloured clip featuring pictures of rainbows and dolphins, overlaid with the words: “How life feels when you finally give up and just start killing people brutally.”
Other video clips included Richardson smashing a statue of Buddha in a garden, describing how it was a “polytheistic idol”, and also of him firing a crossbow.
Det Chief Supt Dunkerley added: “If anyone is concerned that someone they know is being drawn into extremism, I would urge them to trust your instincts and report it in confidence at gov.uk/ACT.
“Reporting your concerns won’t ruin lives, but it could help us to save them.”
