Muslim dentistry student had bomb-making material and video on tactics for stabbing and beheading

“First picture of Sheffield dentistry student found guilty of terrorism offences,” by Sarah Marshall, The Star, December 13, 2017:

This is the Sheffield student who was this afternoon found guilty of three terrorism offences including engaging in the preparation of an act of terrorism.

It took jurors just over a day to find Mohammed Abbas Idris Awan, of Dun Street, Sheffield guilty of one offence of engaging in the preparation of an act of terrorism and two offences of possessing a record likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

Judge Paul Watson QC adjourned the case until Wednesday, December 20 when Awan will be sentenced. The former University of Sheffield student was remanded into custody until that time.

Awan’s home in Sheffield and his family address in Huddersfield were raided in June this year by North East counter terrorism officers following an intelligence led investigation.

Opening the case against Mohammed Abbas Awan at Sheffield Crown Court last month, prosecutor, Simon Davis, said it is the Crown’s case that Awan was in possession of a significant volume of ideological material, including videos that ‘glorify and promote the activities of Islamic State’.

Awan claimed the material found on his electronic devices belonged to his brother, Rizwan Awan, who joined Isis and blew himself up in a suicide bombing in Syria in March last year.

“The Defendant purchased a slingshot as well as ball bearings, which the book recommends to be used as shrapnel for a home made bomb in a later chapter on bomb making,” continued Mr Davis.

He added: “It is plain that a jury would be entitled to come to the conclusion that the Defendant was using the document as a reference guide for what he was later to follow through.

“The Prosecution say that the Defendant was knowingly in possession of the document which was of a kind likely to be useful for a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.” Mr Davis told the court that materials held by Awan also included a video entitled ‘Commander Hamzah Zinjibary’s Training Camp’ which demonstrates in graphic detail tactics for ‘terrorists using an assault rifle’ as well as physical violence including: stabbing, garroting and beheading.

Detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson, Head of Investigations at Counter Terrorism Policing North East said, “Following his arrest and the subsequent house searches a number of exhibits were seized, including 11 mobile phones, 16 USB memory sticks and 7 computers. Specialist officers and staff examined a vast quantity of data and found a significant amount of terrorism related material….