Army Cadet's Valentine's Day School Shooting Threat Revealed in Court
A 19-year-old Army cadet who allegedly posted a disturbing image captioned "Who's in for a Valentines school shooting" after being rejected by a teenage girl has appeared at the Old Bailey. Dihan Rahman, from west London, is facing serious charges related to stalking and possessing terrorist materials.
Disturbing Online Activity and Stalking Allegations
The court heard that Rahman's troubling behaviour began in 2023 when he started at a new school and joined an Army cadet programme. After one of the girls rejected his advances, he allegedly began sending abusive messages to both her and another female student. On Valentine's Day 2024, he reportedly messaged the girl he was interested in with the words "Goodbye retard" before attempting to call her, prompting her to block him on WhatsApp.
Prosecutor Serena Gates KC told jurors that the situation escalated when the girl discovered Rahman was taking photographs of her and her friends, followed by him "spamming" her social media accounts. After being banned from the cadet base, he allegedly posted on Snapchat and TikTok about plans to "ruin prom", forcing organisers to change the venue location.
Extremist Ideologies and Violent Imagery
Rahman was described in court as having developed an interest in violence through what prosecutors called a combination of incel beliefs, extreme right-wing ideology, misogyny, and Islamic extremism. Jurors were shown disturbing images including Rahman giving a Nazi salute while holding a rope tied in a noose, and another photograph of him wearing a headscarf around his face alongside the Valentine's school shooting caption.
The prosecution presented evidence of Rahman's online activity, which allegedly included images of Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, depictions of beheadings and dead bodies, and violent imagery targeting women. One particularly concerning picture showed Rahman in Army uniform with the words "kill yourself".
Teacher's Discovery and Subsequent Investigation
A female teacher who initially described Rahman as "socially awkward" became concerned when he began sending inappropriate Snapchat messages to the two girls in January 2024. The following month, he allegedly told her directly that he "hates women". After receiving reports about Rahman taking photographs of female students, the teacher confiscated his phone and discovered the disturbing images.
When she briefly left the room, she allegedly caught him deleting images from the device. The examination of his phone revealed the Valentine's school shooting threat image that has become central to the case.
Terrorism-Related Materials and Further Offences
Rahman faces six charges of possessing documents and videos useful to someone committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism. These allegedly include videos about pipe bombs and "How to make a bomb in your mum's kitchen", along with documents entitled Terrorist's Handbook, Improvised Munitions Handbook, The Anarchist's Cookbook, and Anarchy Cookbook version 2000.
While Rahman has admitted possessing this material, he claims he had a "reasonable excuse" - maintaining he didn't know they contained information useful for terrorism and kept them for "research" purposes. The prosecution strongly contests this explanation, arguing that his wider online activity and behaviour demonstrate a clear interest in such materials.
Continued Harassment and Doxxing Allegations
Despite being arrested in March 2024 and given police bail with conditions to stay away from the girls, Rahman allegedly continued his harassment. He was arrested again in November 2025 after an examination of his laptop revealed 83 searches for the first girl that month.
Further investigations uncovered that documents containing personal information about both girls had been released online, including details about their families and social media accounts, along with claims they were a "danger to males". Prosecutor Gates described this as "doxxing" - the online practice of exposing personal information to encourage harassment from others.
Complex Background and Trial Proceedings
The court heard that Rahman, who has autism, had made official complaints against the teacher who discovered the images, allegedly pretending to be his own father in the process. He has already admitted charges of stalking two girls and the female teacher, but continues to deny the terrorism-related charges.
The prosecution maintains that Rahman's possession of terrorist materials cannot be separated from his wider pattern of behaviour, including his stalking activities and extremist online presence. The trial at the Old Bailey continues as jurors consider the evidence presented against the former Army cadet.
