Mohammed Awan: Brother of British Isis suicide bomber jailed for 10 years for plotting UK terror attack
Dentistry student claimed he bought bomb-making components online in order to hunt rabbits
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The brother of an Isis suicide bomber has been jailed for 10 years for preparing for a potential terrorist attack.
Judge Paul Watson QC ordered Mohammed Awan to remain under tight licence conditions for three years after he is released from prison.
The dentistry student was found guilty of preparing a terrorist act and possessing material likely to be useful to a terrorist at Sheffield Crown Court last week.
His older brother, Rizwan, blew himself up in a suicide bombing while fighting for Isis in Iraq in March 2016. Rizwan, a former British Gas employee, was the nephew of a local councillor and had travelled to Isis territories with his wife in 2015.
Mohammed Awan was arrested by counter-terrorism police in June, following an intelligence-led investigation with police raiding his student accommodation in Sheffield and family home in Huddersfield.
The 24-year-old told police he intended to hunt rabbits and other game with a slingshot and 500 ball bearings purchased online.
But investigators uncovered a bomb-making manual advising jihadis to use the metal balls as shrapnel, among a prolific quantity of terrorist propaganda.
Prosecutors told Sheffield Crown Court that the day before the slingshot was delivered, Awan searched online for information about the injuries ball bearings fired from a slingshot could cause.
He had downloaded a manual advising would-be terrorists to practice using “primitive weapons” before moving onto firearms, alongside tips on “Survival Techniques”, “Modern Weapons”, “Bomb Making” and “Escaping for Safety”.
The document was among a “significant amount of terrorism-related material” found on 11 mobile phones, 16 USB sticks and seven computers examined by specialist police officers.
Awan had watched a video calling for young Muslims to join al-Qaeda, featuring graphic footage of how to kill and kidnap victims and tactics for terrorists using assault rifles and guns.
Detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson, the head of investigations at Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said Awan was influenced by online terrorist propaganda from Isis and other groups.
“Whilst we do not know the full details of Awan’s intentions, officers intervened swiftly before Awan could put any plans into practice,” he added.
“Public safety is, and always will be, our priority when making operational decisions.”