A 'thug for hire' told his 'soldiers' to disguise themselves as builders in order to go to a family home to execute a brutal attack, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Khassim Lawrence was caught by officers masquerading behind the pseudonym 'Motleymetal' on the encrypted platform Encrochat.
Following an extensive investigation, which involved' hours of trawling through incriminating messages', officers were able to pinpoint Lawrence's every move, says the force.
Those messages - which GMP described as 'horrific' - included the details of a violent and targeted attack on a man and showed Lawrence conspiring to buy tens of thousands of pounds-worth of drugs to be distributed across Manchester.
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