Britain's "least cunning" terrorist jailed for life
White Muslim convert with mental age of ten jailed for life for failed suicide bomb attack in Exeter restaurant last May
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Friday, 30, Jan 2009 06:13
A white Muslim convert with a mental age of ten and a history of learning difficulties has been jailed for life for a failed suicide bomb attack in Exeter last year.
Mohammad Rashid Saeed Alim, previously known as Nicky Reilly, was given a minimum term of 18 years at the Old Bailey after pleading guilty to attempted murder and preparing an act of terrorism last October.
The 22-year-old was the only person injured when he set off a homemade nail-bomb in the Giraffe restaurant.
Defence lawyers had described the Plymouth-born man as the "least cunning" terrorist to ever appear in court.
His mother Kim has repeatedly claimed her son was radicalised by al-Qaida sympathisers through online forums, and that led to him entering the Giraffe restaurant with a bomb made of explosive material, plastic bottles and 500 nails.
Speaking to the BBC, Mrs Reilly said her son had shown genuine remorse for his actions.
"He's sorry to the people of Exeter and those in the cafe that day," she said.
Reilly's bomb went off accidentally as he left the toilets in the Giraffe restaurant.
Sentencing judge Mr Justice Calvert-Smith said it was "sheer luck or chance" that the bomb did not achieve its objective.
"The offence of attempted murder is aggravated by the fact that it was long-planned, that it had multiple intended victims and was intended to terrorise the population of this country," he said.
Counterterrorism officers meanwhile are continuing to trace two Pakistani men believed to have radicalised Reilly prior to his conversion between 2002 and 2003.