Man sentenced for trying to take gun on plane

A man who has twice been cleared of involvement in alleged terrorist bomb plots received a suspended sentence in a Manchester court today for trying to board a plane with a pistol in his suitcase.

Faisal Mostafa checked in a gas-powered pistol and primers, which are a bullet component, at Manchester Airport on July 13.

Prosecutor Rosemary Fernandez told Minshull Street Crown Court that he failed to declare he was carrying dangerous items.

The 44-year-old was cleared of conspiracy to cause explosions with intent to endanger life in 2002 at Birmingham Crown Court.

His co-accused, Moinul Abedin, was jailed for 20 years after being found guilty of planning to cause explosions around the UK.

Mostafa was also cleared at Manchester Crown Court in 1996 of involvement in a terrorist bomb plot campaign after explosives were found at his Stockport home.

The jury found him guilty of illegally possessing a firearm and he was sentenced to four years and banned for life from possessing a firearm.

Mostafa, who has a PhD in chemistry and advises companies how to transport dangerous materials safely, intended to fly from Manchester Airport to Dubai in July with his wife and three children on an Emirates flight.

Ms Fernandez said the family were en route to Bangladesh for a hunting and fishing trip.

A baggage scan picked up the outline of the trigger of a firearm in their luggage, the court heard.

Ms Fernandez said the family’s luggage was recalled following the scan, and a search revealed a gas powered pistol, packed in component parts, and three boxes of primers.

Ms Fernandez said: “He had purchased the gas pistol as a gift for his brother-in-law in Bangladesh. He said hunting and fishing were his biggest hobbies and he purchased all of the items legally.

“He said the items had been distributed across the family’s suitcases to evenly distribute the weight.”

Judge Peter Lakin sentenced him to 56 days in prison on each count, to be served concurrently, suspended for two years.

The maximum prison sentence he faced was five years.