Alleged jihadist in court accused of plot to blow up St Paul's Cathedral

An alleged female jihadist has appeared in court accused of plotting to blow up St Paul’s Cathedral in a suicide attack.

Safiyya Amira Shaikh, from Hayes, Middlesex, was arrested last week and charged in connection with the alleged Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) plot.

Prosecutors claim the 36-year-old carried out a reconnaissance trip to London to scope out the famous tourist attraction as a potential target.

Ms Shaikh allegedly attempted to make contact with a bomb maker online and asked them to build two improvised explosive devices.