A British man has been sentenced to nearly four decades in prison after plotting a terrorist attack on a military base in northern England using a homemade bomb crafted from fireworks.
Mohammad Farooq, 29, was handed a minimum sentence of 37 years on Friday. The judge described him as having been radicalised online and influenced by the ideology of the Islamic State.
Farooq was convicted in July 2023 at Sheffield Crown Court of preparing acts of terrorism. He had earlier admitted to possessing an explosive substance with intent to endanger life, among other offences. His arrest took place in January 2023 outside St. James’s Hospital in Leeds, where he had previously worked as a student nurse.
Authorities discovered Farooq in possession of a homemade device packed with nearly 10 kilograms of explosive material derived from fireworks.
Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb stated that Farooq initially planned to target RAF Menwith Hill, a Royal Air Force base in North Yorkshire that is also utilized by U.S. forces. However, after realizing the high security of the site, he shifted focus to what the judge called a "softer target."
Superintendent Paul Greenwood of the counter-terrorism police unit said, “Farooq came dangerously close to harming innocent people.”
Farooq will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least 37 years. Photo by Bencherlite, Wikimedia commons.