Man with knife who ‘made Taliban comments’ on a Manchester-Clitheroe train is jailed

A homeless man has been jailed for 18 months after admitting having a knife on a train.

Mohammed Khalil Khan, 50, of no fixed abode, committed the offence after boarding a service at Manchester Victoria, bound for Clitheroe, last August.

A member of train staff called 999 after a passenger reported a man making threats to commit future acts of violence, and also making comments about the atrocities of 9/11 and the Taliban, Preston Crown Court heard

Khan was detained at Darwen station and arrested after a knife was found in a back-pack.

Detective Chief Inspector, Kay Dennison, of Counter Terrorism Policing North West, said: “This was a terrifying incident for the passengers to be stuck on a moving train with Khan making such concerning threats.

“His behaviour led to the train station where he was detained being closed off as a precaution, causing widespread disruption and a sense of panic in the local area.

“Khan’s behaviour was frankly very worrying and completely unacceptable to cause fear in a public place. I’d like to thank the members of the public who reported Khan and offered to be witnesses and the train staff for their quick action in alerting police.”