'Lyrical Terrorist' found guilty

A 23-year-old who called herself the "Lyrical Terrorist" has become the first woman in the UK to be convicted under the Terrorism Act.
Samina Malik from Southall, west London, has been found guilty at the Old Bailey of owning terrorist manuals.
The jury heard Malik had written extremist poems praising Osama Bin Laden, supporting martyrdom and discussing beheading.
Malik worked at WH Smith at Heathrow Airport until her arrest last October.
She had earlier been found not guilty of the more serious charge, under Section 57 of the Act, of possessing an article for a terrorist purpose. She denied the charges.
Extremist 'library'
Malik burst into tears in the dock when the verdict was read out.



These communications strongly indicate Samina Malik was deeply involved with terrorist related groups Jonathan Sharp, prosecuting


Following the verdict, Judge Peter Beaumont QC, the Recorder of London, told Malik: "You have been in many respects a complete enigma to me."
She had posted her poems on websites under the screen name the Lyrical Terrorist, prosecutors said.
Malik said the poems were "meaningless", but prosecutor Jonathan Sharp said: "These communications strongly indicate Samina Malik was deeply involved with terrorist related groups."
Police said they had found a "library" of extreme Islamist literature in her bedroom including The Al-Qaeda Manual and The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook.
The court also heard she had written on the back of a WH Smith till receipt: "The desire within me increases every day to go for martyrdom."
Malik said she had only called herself the Lyrical Terrorist "because it sounded cool".
She was convicted of having articles "likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism".
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said: "Malik held violent extremist views which she shared with other like-minded people over the internet. She also tried to donate money to a terrorist group.
"She had the ideology, ability and determination to access and download material, which could have been useful to terrorists. Merely possessing this material is a serious criminal offence."
Malik was bailed under what the judge described as "house arrest" until her sentencing on 6 December.
He warned her that "all sentencing options" remained open to him.



Malik 'led double life'