‘Wannabe suicide bomber’ faces up to 15 years

A BRITISH-BORN “wannabe suicide bomber” could be jailed for up to 15 years after he was found guilty of terrorism offences yesterday.

Muslim student Mohammed Atif Siddique, aged 21, provided training material on booby-trap bomb-making and threatened to become a suicide bomber.

A jury at the High Court in Glasgow took almost nine hours to convict Siddique, from Alva, Clackmannanshire, of possessing and distributing a range of Islamist terrorist material via websites and providing instructions about guns and explosives over the internet.

During the trial, which lasted almost four weeks, Siddique was branded a “wannabe suicide bomber” by the prosecution.

Documents and footage linked to him were also described as “a call to arms for Muslims”.

Siddique had denied three charges under the Terrorism Act 2000, one under the Terrorism Act 2006 and a breach of the peace charge.

He was accused of possessing and collecting items such as CDs and videos on weapons use, guerrilla tactics and bomb-making that could be used for terrorist purposes.

Siddique was also accused of setting up websites with links to terrorist publications that showed how to use weapons and make bombs.

He was further accused of causing a breach of the peace at Glasgow Metropolitan College by threatening to become a suicide bomber and blow up Glasgow, as well as showing images of suicide bombers and beheadings.

The offences were alleged to have been carried out between March 1, 2003, and April 13, 2006.

Outside the court, Siddique’s solicitor, Aamer Anwar, said they were considering an appeal. He also said his client could face a maximum 15 years behind bars for the offence.