A Syrian-born man received a seven-year prison term in Britain for attempting to make bombs for terror attacks.
Hassan Tabbakh, 38, was convicted by a jury Wednesday in Birmingham Crown Court of “obtaining chemicals and compiling and retaining documents with instructions for making an explosive device.â€
Tabbakh, a former chemistry student, was arrested in December in his Birmingham home. Police found liquid chemicals and hand-written notes in Arabic containing instructions for bomb making, as well as computer links to Internet sites showing terrorist attacks on coalition vehicle convoys in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In denying the charges, Tabbakh had claimed he was making fireworks for a religious festival. He admitted not having a license to make fireworks as required by British law.
Tabbakh had applied for asylum in the United Kingdom, claiming he was tortured in Syria.
During his two-week trial, the jury heard speeches by al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and songs about jihad, or holy war, taken from Tabbakh’s MP3 player.
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