An Irishman who converted to Islam has been sentenced to three years in prison by a London court for his bizarre plot to kill Britain’s Prince Harry.
Mark Townley, now known as Ashraf Islam, had pleaded guilty to the change after he turned himself in to police last summer.
A prison yard convert to Islam from when he served a previous sentence on a robbery conviction, Townley was planning the Royal killing when he turned himself in to police in London last May.
The Irish Independent reports that Townley, born in Belfast, told a London court he planned to kill the British royal because he served in the British Army and had ‘blood on his hands.'
Police searched his computer after he turned himself in and found Townley had researched the Prince’s travel schedule.
They also unearthed a document outlining Townley's plan to shoot him using a small caliber pistol.
The report says Judge Richard McGregor-Johnson called the plot ‘vague and unlikely to succeed.’ He also said the electronic evidence showed Townley was serious about the plan.
The judge said, “The examination of your computer revealed you conducted research on Prince Harry’s whereabouts and intentions. You had given the matter considerable thought.”
Townley was previously convicted in an attempted robbery and then converted to Islam while serving a prison term.
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