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| Couple jailed for planning Isis-inspired bomb attack in UK after meeting on dating site | Couple jailed for planning Isis-inspired bomb attack in UK after meeting on dating site |
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| A couple who planned an Isis-inspired terror attack in the UK after meeting on a dating website have been jailed. | A couple who planned an Isis-inspired terror attack in the UK after meeting on a dating website have been jailed. |
| Munir Mohammed was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years, while accomplice Rowaida El-Hassan was jailed for 12 years and five more under licence conditions. | Munir Mohammed was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years, while accomplice Rowaida El-Hassan was jailed for 12 years and five more under licence conditions. |
| Security services feared Mohammed and pharmacist El-Hassan were ready to strike before they were detained. | |
| Mohammed, a 37-year-old Sudanese refugee, had already amassed two out of three core components for triacetone triperoxide (TATP), the powerful explosive used in Isis attacks including Paris and Brussels. | Mohammed, a 37-year-old Sudanese refugee, had already amassed two out of three core components for triacetone triperoxide (TATP), the powerful explosive used in Isis attacks including Paris and Brussels. |
| He had also downloaded a manual on how to make ricin, a deadly poison that can kill an adult victim with just a few grains. | He had also downloaded a manual on how to make ricin, a deadly poison that can kill an adult victim with just a few grains. |
| Judge Michael Topolski QC told Mohammed: “You decided that yours would be a lone wolf attack. You decided the means of your attack would involve you making an IED. | Judge Michael Topolski QC told Mohammed: “You decided that yours would be a lone wolf attack. You decided the means of your attack would involve you making an IED. |
| “You had not decided whether that would be made with an ordinary bomb or whether you could do more damage and more terror by exploding a device containing ricin.” | “You had not decided whether that would be made with an ordinary bomb or whether you could do more damage and more terror by exploding a device containing ricin.” |
| The judge told the Old Bailey that Mohammed deliberately drew El-Hassan in to the point where her commitment was “consistent and sustained”. | The judge told the Old Bailey that Mohammed deliberately drew El-Hassan in to the point where her commitment was “consistent and sustained”. |
| Mohammed, of Leopold Street in Derby, and El-Hassan, of Willesden Lane in north-west London, had denied preparing terrorist acts between November 2015 and December 2016 but a jury found them both guilty last month. | Mohammed, of Leopold Street in Derby, and El-Hassan, of Willesden Lane in north-west London, had denied preparing terrorist acts between November 2015 and December 2016 but a jury found them both guilty last month. |
| Mohammed was the chief architect of the plot after volunteering for a “lone wolf” UK mission as he chatted on Facebook with a man he believed was an Isis commander. | Mohammed was the chief architect of the plot after volunteering for a “lone wolf” UK mission as he chatted on Facebook with a man he believed was an Isis commander. |
| He pledged allegiance to the man, known as Abubakr Kurdi, and offered to participate in “a new job in the UK” while working making sauces for supermarket ready meals. | He pledged allegiance to the man, known as Abubakr Kurdi, and offered to participate in “a new job in the UK” while working making sauces for supermarket ready meals. |
| In September 2016, Mohammed complained he had not received his instructions, telling his contact: “If possible send how we make dough [explosives] for Syrian bread [a bomb] and other types of food.” | In September 2016, Mohammed complained he had not received his instructions, telling his contact: “If possible send how we make dough [explosives] for Syrian bread [a bomb] and other types of food.” |
| El-Hassan, a 33-year-old divorcee with two children, became a willing participant in the plot after meeting Mohammed on dating website SingleMuslim.com. | El-Hassan, a 33-year-old divorcee with two children, became a willing participant in the plot after meeting Mohammed on dating website SingleMuslim.com. |
| She had advertised “for a simple, very simple, honest and straightforward man who fears Allah” who she could “vibe with on a spiritual and intellectual level”. | She had advertised “for a simple, very simple, honest and straightforward man who fears Allah” who she could “vibe with on a spiritual and intellectual level”. |
| Prosecutors said Mohammed was specifically drawn to her profile in late 2015 after seeing she had a masters degree in pharmaceuticals, aiming to use her chemical knowledge in the attack. | Prosecutors said Mohammed was specifically drawn to her profile in late 2015 after seeing she had a masters degree in pharmaceuticals, aiming to use her chemical knowledge in the attack. |
| The Old Bailey heard the pair had a “rapidly formed emotional attachment and a shared ideology” and were in regular contact on WhatsApp by spring 2016, meeting in a London park near El-Hassan’s home. | The Old Bailey heard the pair had a “rapidly formed emotional attachment and a shared ideology” and were in regular contact on WhatsApp by spring 2016, meeting in a London park near El-Hassan’s home. |
| Records of their messages show they shared extremist views and graphic Isis propaganda videos, while El-Hassan advised Mohammed on what chemicals to buy for a bomb. | Records of their messages show they shared extremist views and graphic Isis propaganda videos, while El-Hassan advised Mohammed on what chemicals to buy for a bomb. |
| The judge said Mohammed had a “vast store” of Isis propaganda depicting “abhorrent” murders, including nearly 26,000 images on his phone. | The judge said Mohammed had a “vast store” of Isis propaganda depicting “abhorrent” murders, including nearly 26,000 images on his phone. |
| El-Hassan – an “enthusiastic and encouraging partner” – never objected to being sent the material as her two children slept in her bedroom, and even asked for more, he added. | El-Hassan – an “enthusiastic and encouraging partner” – never objected to being sent the material as her two children slept in her bedroom, and even asked for more, he added. |
| That November, Mohammed obtained a video containing information on how to manufacture ricin, and days before his arrest he was captured on CCTV buying acetone-free nail polish from Asda, in the mistaken belief it was a component of TATP, the powerful explosive that has become a signature of Isis terror attacks around the world. | That November, Mohammed obtained a video containing information on how to manufacture ricin, and days before his arrest he was captured on CCTV buying acetone-free nail polish from Asda, in the mistaken belief it was a component of TATP, the powerful explosive that has become a signature of Isis terror attacks around the world. |
| He is believed to have obtained the instructions through a video made by Palestinian Isis supporters, which was also watched by the Manchester bomber Salman Abedi. | He is believed to have obtained the instructions through a video made by Palestinian Isis supporters, which was also watched by the Manchester bomber Salman Abedi. |
| The footage has since been taken down amid a crackdown by YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other technology firms, while the Government has funded free artificial intelligence software capable of detecting Isis propaganda videos before they are uploaded. | The footage has since been taken down amid a crackdown by YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other technology firms, while the Government has funded free artificial intelligence software capable of detecting Isis propaganda videos before they are uploaded. |
| Police found hydrogen peroxide in a wardrobe and hydrochloric acid in the freezer of Mohammed’s home during a raid on 12 December 2016 but he claimed they were for domestic purposes. | Police found hydrogen peroxide in a wardrobe and hydrochloric acid in the freezer of Mohammed’s home during a raid on 12 December 2016 but he claimed they were for domestic purposes. |
| He claimed he sent El-Hassan extremist videos “mainly for the news” and said his intention was to marry her, despite having had an arranged marriage in Sudan with a woman he had never met. | He claimed he sent El-Hassan extremist videos “mainly for the news” and said his intention was to marry her, despite having had an arranged marriage in Sudan with a woman he had never met. |
| Mohammed had arrived in Britain in the back of a lorry and claimed asylum in 2014, appealing to his local MP Margaret Beckett for help after a two-year wait, but she was told his case had been referred to a “specialist unit for consideration”. | Mohammed had arrived in Britain in the back of a lorry and claimed asylum in 2014, appealing to his local MP Margaret Beckett for help after a two-year wait, but she was told his case had been referred to a “specialist unit for consideration”. |
| El-Hassan, who came to Britain from Sudan at the age of three, told jurors she had sulphuric acid for her drains and got face masks to wear as she dealt with a damp problem in her flat. | El-Hassan, who came to Britain from Sudan at the age of three, told jurors she had sulphuric acid for her drains and got face masks to wear as she dealt with a damp problem in her flat. |
| Police said it could not be proven that El-Hassan, who was previously unknown to the security services, was an extremist before she met Mohammed, but could have been in no doubt about his jihadi beliefs. | Police said it could not be proven that El-Hassan, who was previously unknown to the security services, was an extremist before she met Mohammed, but could have been in no doubt about his jihadi beliefs. |
| Investigators said that if the plot had not been discovered, it “could have resulted in significant loss of life in the UK in the lead up to Christmas 2016”. | Investigators said that if the plot had not been discovered, it “could have resulted in significant loss of life in the UK in the lead up to Christmas 2016”. |
| Mohammed and El-Hassan are not the first couple to plan a terror attack together – a young husband and wife from Birmingham were jailed for plotting a stabbing massacre last year. | Mohammed and El-Hassan are not the first couple to plan a terror attack together – a young husband and wife from Birmingham were jailed for plotting a stabbing massacre last year. |
| In 2016, another couple admitted sending money to their nephew while he fought for Isis and numerous partners and families were among around 850 people who travelled to join the so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. | In 2016, another couple admitted sending money to their nephew while he fought for Isis and numerous partners and families were among around 850 people who travelled to join the so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. |
| Analysts have said that while Isis’s slick propaganda strategy has increased the risk of online radicalisation, personal relationships can play a key role in pushing extremists from thought to action. | Analysts have said that while Isis’s slick propaganda strategy has increased the risk of online radicalisation, personal relationships can play a key role in pushing extremists from thought to action. |
| Additional reporting by PA | Additional reporting by PA |