TikTok user found with video on how to make explosives used in terror attacks such as Manchester arena bombing
A TikTok user who was caught with a bomb-making video explaining how to make explosives used in previous UK terror attacks has been jailed for four years.
Former student Adam Mahmood, 20, was "obsessed with weapons" and was found with a 15 minute video detailing how to make a device similar to the one used in the Manchester arena bombings.
Ball bearings were also discovered in his bedroom while a photo of Mahmood, who had more than 27,000 followers, showed him wearing a balaclava and featured various weapons, including an axe and a sword.
Mahmood, of Sheldon, Birmingham, was found guilty of possessing a recording likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terror in September last year. On Thursday Jan 15, Judge Simon Drew KC passed an extended sentence extending, extending the time he remains on licence by three years saying there was a significant risk of him causing serious harm.
Sentencing him at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Drew said "In January 2024, when you were 18, your social media activities drew police attention because of its extremist content. On April 3 you were arrested and your family home was searched and in your bedroom officers found an alarming display of mediaeval weapons along with a Sharia flag.
"These weapons included swords, knives and axe and even a catapult. An I phone was seized and you refused to provide the pin. It was later unlocked by the police and an examination revealed significant material, messages, searches and posts.
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"Central to the prosecution case was a video you obtained on October 30 which you viewed at least twice and demonstrated how to construct an improvised explosive device using readily available chemicals."
The judge said it was similar to the kind of device used in the Manchester arena attack and its only purpose was to cause mass casualties. He added: "Ball bearings were found in your room showing at least you were contemplating assembling such a device.
"You had a fascination with weapons and the material on your phone indicated you had a high level of interest in and support for prohibited terrorist organisations."
During the trial the court heard that he asked another user of the site to send him the instructional video via a messaging app. Sahil Sinha, prosecuting, said the video, which was not in English and had a translation at the bottom, was last accessed on March 24 last year, having been created via the Telegram app in October 2023.
He said that the video served as "a detailed guide" to creating an explosive substance complete with a detonator and shrapnel to form a full bomb. He said that this type of explosive had been used in previous terrorist attacks, including those in this country, and was "too unstable to have viable commercial use".
Mahmood, a former motor mechanics student, told jurors he initially watched the video on fast-forward, skipped over parts of the film and "didn't really think anything of it". Benjamin Hargreaves, defending, said Mahmood "had a devout and genuine belief in religion" but that he was "not listening to the right people" and his isolation had lead him to become drawn into the depths of the Internet.
He added: "There was clearly an interest in material that was deeply unpleasant. As unpleasant as they are they are all freely available on TikTok and other platforms. My concern is that this is a vulnerable young man who requires assistance to understand what he has done."
Detective Chief Superintendent Alison Hurst, who leads Counter Terrorism Policing in the West Midlands, said: "Videos found on Mahmood’s phone were dangerous and showed extreme violence.
"The instructional video was assessed by an expert who considered that the guide was easy to follow even for someone with no previous training in explosive manufacturing and therefore incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands."