A 26-year-old PhD student has been found guilty of terror offences after trying to build a giant drone designed to transport chemical weapons for ISIS, a court has heard.
At Mohamad Al-Bared’s home in Coventry, which was raided in January while he was arrested, police found a series of discoveries, including violent propaganda on his electronic devices and notebooks detailing recipes for chemical weapons.
They also found parts of a drone the “calculated” and “very dangerous” chemical engineering student had made with his own 3D printer.
And conversations documented on his electronic devices showed how he was scheming to get the drone into a war zone without being stopped by authorities.
Conversations on Al-Bared’s devices also clearly exposed his support for ISIS, according to West Midlands Police.
Al-Bared had even set up a spoof company so he could pretend to be travelling on business, conversations showed.
Head of Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands, Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Payne said: “Al-Bared was a calculated individual and coupled with his education and expertise in mechanical and chemical engineering he was clearly very dangerous.
“He has made a purpose-built drone able to carry explosives or chemicals to be used as a weapon in a war zone, thankfully he was unable to continue his efforts following his swift arrest earlier this year.
“The jury heard how security conscious he was going to great lengths to try to hide anything that might lead to his identification.
“Today’s verdict means a dangerous individual has been taken off our streets, there is no place in our society for individuals intent on participating in terrorism activity.
“We will continue to work with partners and the CPS to protect our communities by pursuing and prosecuting such individuals. We work tirelessly to counter-terrorism. Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety and security of the people who live, work and visit the West Midlands area.”
Al-Bared will be sentenced on November 27.
