Joshua Bowles, 29, punched the woman and knifed her repeatedly in what was called a \u201cpolitically motivated\u201d attack as she left a gym on March 9 in the western England town of Cheltenham, which is home to the UK\u2019s electronic spy agency, Government Communications Headquarters, better known as GCHQ.<\/p>\n
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Former British cyberespionage agency employee Joshua Bowles, who stabbed an American intelligence worker, has been sentenced to life in prison. <\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve just tried to kill her,\u201d Bowles said, according to Steve Bunn, who helped stop the attack. \u201cIt\u2019s … good … I didn\u2019t have a gun, isn\u2019t it? I make a pretty (expletive) terrorist, don\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n Bowles will serve at least 13 years in prison before any chance at early release.<\/p>\n The woman, identified in court only by a code number, 99230, worked for the National Security Agency, which spies on electronic communications for the US, and places some of its employees at the Cheltenham facility.<\/p>\n Prosecutor Duncan Penny said the attack was pre-meditated and the woman was targeted solely because of her role with the NSA.<\/p>\n The GCHQ building in Cheltenham.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cAmerican intelligence represents the largest contributor within the intelligence community, so (it) made sense as the symbolic target,\u201d Bowles told police after his arrest. \u201cI consider GCHQ just as guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb in London\u2019s Central Criminal Court called it a \u201cpolitically motivated attack\u201d driven by \u201canger and resentment\u201d towards GCHQ and women. The judge said Bowles, a former computer software coding developer, had shown a \u201cdeep disaffection with society and a desire to challenge authority\u201d.<\/p>\n Bowles\u2019 internet searches included white supremacy, Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski and attacks on women.<\/p>\n \u201cBy the time you launched your attack, your feelings of anger and resentment against GCHQ and women had evolved sufficiently to lead you to mount a lethal assault through which you wanted, however unrealistically, to disrupt the work of the UK intelligence community with an important ally, the United States of America, and you hoped to achieve this by killing one of the American citizens you knew was engaged in that work,\u201d Cheema-Grubb said.<\/p>\n After Bunn intervened, he said Bowles told him he would understand his actions if he knew what was being done at GCHQ and said he was appalled by the work of the NSA.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was disgusted by the manner in which they gather information and use things against people,\u201d Bunn said, and said he could no longer \u201chandle the murky waters of ethics and whether they are doing the right thing and the power that the American NSA have and the things they do.\u201d<\/p>\n Defence attorney Tim Forte said Bowles had \u201cprofound regret, remorse and shame at what he has done\u201d.<\/p>\n Forte said his client was not a terrorist but was depressed at being rejected by another former American co-worker he liked and trying to hurt GCHQ.<\/p>\n The victim recovered after being hospitalised for cuts to her abdomen, chest and thigh. She said it had a profound effect and \u201ccompletely changed my life.\u201d<\/p>\n She said in a victim impact statement that she felt sick using Bowles\u2019 name.<\/p>\n \u201cI now know he used to work where I work and I\u2019m devastated by this,\u201d she said. \u201cFollowing the attack, I went from being in the best shape I had ever been to being the weakest I have ever been.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman and a female US colleague were leaving the gym after a game of netball when Bowles walked up behind them and said, \u201cExcuse me.\u201d<\/p>\n Bowles punched her in the face repeatedly when she turned around. She kicked and screamed, and her friend hit Bowles with her bag.<\/p>\n Alex Fuentes, a man on his way to play soccer, tried to intervene and was punched in the face, allowing the women to run to the health club entrance, where Bowles chased them and lunged at the woman with one of the two knives he carried, according the prosecutor.<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt like he hated me \u2026 his focus was me,\u201d the woman said, according to Penny.<\/p>\n The attack ended when Bunn, who was at the gym, restrained Bowles.<\/p>\n Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright, who is a head of counter-terrorism policing, said the intervention probably saved the woman\u2019s life.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite the brave efforts of members of the public who intervened during the attack, Bowles remained completely undeterred,\u201d Wright said.<\/p>\n A GCHQ spokesperson said the agency was satisfied that justice had been served, calling it \u201ca shocking, unprovoked attack, and its isolated nature does not make it any less upsetting\u201d.<\/p>\n An NSA spokesperson said the agency was committed to the safety of its employees and would continue providing support to the victim.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n