A friend of an Islamic State terrorist who plotted to assassinate the Prime Minister has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years.

Mohammed Aqib Imran, 23, planned to travel for jihad, while Naa’imur Zakariyah Rahman, 21, was set on a suicide attack on the heart of Government.

Imran, from Ombersley Road, Birmingham, researched travel and tried to secure a false passport in online communication, fearing his mother would stop him if he used his own passport.

Rahman, from Finchley, north London, admitted helping his friend by recording an IS sponsorship video for him, the Old Bailey heard.

The pair were snared by a network of online role-players from the Met Police, MI5 and the FBI.

Rahman’s plans to kill Theresa May were scuppered when undercover officers handed him a jacket and rucksack packed with fake explosives.

Following a trial in July, Rahman was found guilty of preparing acts of terrorism and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 30 years.

Imran was convicted of possessing a terrorist handbook entitled How To Survive In The West.

Following a retrial, former student Imran was also found guilty of preparing acts of terrorism abroad on or before November 28 2017 in December.

On Tuesday, Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC jailed him for eight years and six months for preparing to join IS with an additional three years and six months on extended licence.

He also handed Imran three years and nine months in custody for possessing the terrorist publication on his Kindle, to run concurrently.

The judge accepted Imran was “immature” for his age and “more of a follower than a leader”.

While he did nothing to put off Rahman from carrying out his plot, the judge said he would not sentence him on the basis that he encouraged it.

He said: “Mr Rahman was a very dangerous man and that must have been evident from any time spent with him but also from the messages the defendant exchanged with him.

“I am afraid nothing I have seen demonstrates a change of heart by the defendant or a real insight into what would be necessary to achieve that. His defence was simply this was talk, he never intended to follow through and the jury rejected that.”

Acting Commander for the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command, Alexis Boon, said: “The idea was that Rahman would kill the Prime Minister, and Imran would subsequently have a video from a martyr recommending he be accepted into the terrorist organisation. Such a video would have held weight with Daesh.

“Of course, this was never going to happen because MI5 and the Counter Terrorism Command had been investigating the pair for some time and in fact a covert police officer had been meeting with Rahman to establish how serious his plans were.

“I am pleased with this result. Our police investigation has stopped Imran from joining Daesh on the ground in Libya, where his subsequent actions could have assisted the terrorist organisation to further their aims.”

A friend of an Islamic State terrorist who plotted to assassinate the Prime Minister has been found guilty of preparing to join terrorists abroad.

Mohammed Aqib Imran, 22, made arrangements to travel for jihad, around the time Naa’imur Zakariyah Rahman, 21, was set on a suicide attack on the heart of Government.

Rahman, from Finchley, north London, helped his like-minded friend by recording an IS sponsorship video for him, the Old Bailey heard.

The pair were snared by a network of online role-players from the Met Police, MI5 and the FBI.

Rahman’s plans to kill Theresa May were scuppered when undercover officers handed him a jacket and rucksack packed with fake explosives.

Following a trial in July, Rahman was convicted of preparing acts of terrorism and Imran was found guilty of possessing a terrorist handbook.

Rahman also pleaded guilty during his trial to assisting Imran in the preparation of terrorist acts by recording a sponsorship video.

Following a retrial, former student Imran was further found guilty of preparing acts of terrorism abroad on or before November 28 2017.

Prosecutor Mark Heywood QC told jurors: “At the heart of this case is a developing radicalisation in the minds of two men who came to know each other online and afterwards met and began to collaborate.

“Both thought about travelling abroad to further their cause, going to a conflict zone such as Syria to lend support to violence. Each also contemplated carrying out terrorist acts of violence here in the UK.

“Mohammed Imran – he elected to travel and set about assembling money, acquiring a fake passport, engaging in research and otherwise equipping himself with the information and means to travel aboard for violence for terrorist purposes

“In the case of the other, Naa’imur Rahman, his conclusion was that lethal violence here, directed at the very heart of the UK Government, was the only effective way to pursue his intentions.

“Before his arrest prevented it, he was, he believed, just days away from his objective, which was no less than a suicide attack by blade and explosion, on Downing Street and, if he could, upon Prime Minister Theresa May herself.”

The court heard how Imran’s preferred destination was Libya or possibly Jordan with a view to onward travel to Syria.

He had saved money to pay for a fake passport and researched travel options, the court heard.

He downloaded the manual How to Survive in the West – a Mujahid’s Guide 2015 with a view to joining IS, the jury was told.

Imran, from Sparkhill in Birmingham, denied the charge against him, claiming he only wanted to get married to a woman in Denmark he had met online.

The jury deliberated for just under 18 hours to reject his explanation and find him guilty of preparing to engage in acts of terrorism.

In August, Rahman, who is originally from Birmingham, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 30 years.

Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC, the recorder of London, requested a report from the probation service before sentencing on any potential “future risk” from Imran, as it was “a really important question, the safety of the public”.

Imran is due to be sentenced on January 25.

Following the verdict, Jenny Hopkins, head of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division in the CPS, said: “Mohammad Imran was desperate to join Daesh rather than remain in the UK.

“He was ready to give up everything to kill in the name of a warped world view.”