A scientific help employee who’s accused of planning terrorist assaults on a hospital and an RAF base has admitted possessing a stress cooker bomb.
Mohammed Farooq, 27, was arrested within the early hours of January 20 within the grounds of St James’s Hospital, in Leeds.
He is because of go on trial later this week and potential jurors had been informed by a choose on Monday he’s accused of “an alleged plan to focus on RAF Menwith Hill, in Harrogateand St James’s Hospital, in Leeds, in a terrorist assault”.
On Monday at Sheffield Crown Courtroom, Farooq denied fees of participating in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts and possessing an explosive substance with intent to hazard life or trigger severe harm to property.
However he pleaded responsible to a cost of possessing an explosive substance in suspicious circumstances, which specifies that, between January 18 and January 21, he possessed “an improvised explosive system manufactured from a stress cooker and 9.9kg of a low explosive combination” plus “3.8kg of a low explosive combination”, in addition to pyrotechnic fuses.
He additionally admitted a cost of possessing a doc prone to be helpful to an individual committing or getting ready an act of terrorism, which pertains to a collection of notes on a cell phone on the manufacture of the poisonous substances racin, sarin, VX, tabun and tetrodoxin.
Farooq additionally pleaded responsible to having an imitation firearm with felony intent, particularly a Gediz 9mm PAK semi-automatic pistol, and possession of the identical imitation firearm with intent to trigger concern of violence.
Farooq denies participating in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts.
This cost alleges that, between July 12, 2021 and January 21 2023, he engaged in conduct together with “manufacturing or assembling an improvised explosive system”.
It additionally alleges that he travelled to areas between January 19 and 20, 2023, “with a view to perform an assault” and carried out reconnaissance of “potential areas for assault”.
The cost additional alleges that he acquired a doc titled “Security and safety pointers for lone wolf Mujahideen and small cells”.
Farooq appeared within the dock carrying a blue T-shirt and with quite a few jail officers.
The choose, Mr Justice Hilliard, mentioned the trial is anticipated to start on Thursday.
