British Muslim gets 12 years for keeping library of extremist material

BRITAIN: A FORMER burger bar worker, who radicalised young Muslims and spent years creating the biggest computer library of extremist material seized by British police has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Aabid Khan (23) from Bradford radicalised schoolboy Muhammad Munshi, who on Monday became Britain's youngest convicted terrorist, after recruiting him when he was 15. He and Munshi swapped documents about "black powder explosives" and during one online chat discussed ways to smuggle a sword through airport security.

Khan was a "Mr Fixit" who had links to terrorist groups and ran an "online extremist support network", Blackfriars crown court in London heard. He hoped to recruit Muslims to attend military training in Pakistan and ultimately to join the "worldwide conspiracy" to kill non-believers.

Prosecutors said the computer material showed Khan had a "deep commitment to and involvement in violent jihad". He was found guilty of three counts of possessing articles for a purpose connected with terrorism.

Sultan Muhammad (23), Khan's cousin and right-hand man, was convicted on Monday of three similar possession charges and one of making a record of information likely to be useful in terrorism. Yesterday Muhammad, also of Bradford, was jailed for 10 years.

Munshi, now 18, of Dewsbury, was found guilty of one count of making a record of information likely to be useful in terrorism. He will be sentenced next month.

Khan enrolled Munshi to take part in his "mission in life" - the destruction of western values and the wiping out of all kuffar, or non-believers, prosecutors said.

During a three-month trial, the court was told Khan was detained when he returned from Pakistan in June 2006. A routine search of his luggage at Manchester airport uncovered a huge library of computer files promoting terrorism.

Video footage in the suitcase suggested he had visited the Balakot mountains, the site of a Jaishe Mohammed terrorist training camp. Anti-terror officers also found handbooks on explosives and poisons, information about transport systems in Britain and the US and guidelines for "beating and killing hostages" and planning assassinations. They also found personal details and addresses of members of the royal family.

Khan led police to Munshi who had two bags of ball-bearings - a form of shrapnel commonly used in suicide bombings - in his pockets and notes about martyrdom under his bed. He had downloaded detailed instructions about making napalm and other high explosives and sent them to Khan and Muhammad.

- (Guardian service)

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times