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| Breaking Bad fan jailed over Dark Web ricin plot | Breaking Bad fan jailed over Dark Web ricin plot |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A man who tried to buy deadly ricin poison from the Dark Web after being inspired by the TV series Breaking Bad has been jailed for eight years. | A man who tried to buy deadly ricin poison from the Dark Web after being inspired by the TV series Breaking Bad has been jailed for eight years. |
| Mohammed Ali, 31, was convicted at the Old Bailey of attempting to possess a chemical weapon following a trial in July. | Mohammed Ali, 31, was convicted at the Old Bailey of attempting to possess a chemical weapon following a trial in July. |
| Ali, from Liverpool, struck a deal with a supplier in January to buy 500mg of powder - enough to kill 1,400 people. | Ali, from Liverpool, struck a deal with a supplier in January to buy 500mg of powder - enough to kill 1,400 people. |
| He was unaware that his source was in fact an FBI agent. | He was unaware that his source was in fact an FBI agent. |
| The trial heard the father-of-two was sent harmless powder hidden inside a toy car. | The trial heard the father-of-two was sent harmless powder hidden inside a toy car. |
| After opening the package, which had been treated with a marker substance, he was arrested at his home the following morning. | After opening the package, which had been treated with a marker substance, he was arrested at his home the following morning. |
| The court heard Ali, of Prescot Road, first heard about ricin after watching the US crime drama Breaking Bad. | |
| He told jurors he was just "curious" and wanted to test the boundaries of the Dark Web, and was unaware ricin was illegal. | |
| "I was interested in the Dark Web and ricin. I just wanted to know what the fuss was about," he told the court. | |
| But the judge, Mr Justice Saunders, said Ali's actions created a "real risk". | |
| He said: "Everyone needs to know that the possession of a chemical weapon is extremely serious and long prison sentences will follow. | |
| "I am afraid that because of the need for a deterrent sentence, the sentence will appear harsh to the defendant and his family." | |
| After Ali took delivery of the toy car with five vials hidden in the battery compartment, police swooped to arrest him at his home. | |
| Under ultraviolet light, his face lit up, showing he had handled the package. | |
| The judge continued: "I am satisfied that Mohammed Ali had no intention of disposing of ricin immediately. He intended to keep it. | |
| "That created a real risk that, at some stage in the future, he might decide to experiment with it or it fall into the wrong hands." |