LONDON, October 21 (Associated Press) – A white supremacist Ukrainian student has pleaded guilty to murdering an 82-year-old Muslim man and plotting a terrorist bombing campaign against mosques in central England.
Pavlo Lapshyn admitted murdering Mohammed Saleem, who was stabbed to death as he walked home from a mosque in the city of Birmingham in April.
Lapshyn also pleaded guilty Monday to leaving homemade bombs outside three mosques near Birmingham in June and July. They exploded, but no one was injured.
Police said the 25-year-old, who was in Britain on a work placement, was motivated by racism and a desire to stir up racial tension. The explosions came amid heightened tensions after the death of Lee Rigby, a British soldier who was killed by alleged Islamic extremists on a London street in May.
