A former chemistry student who made bombs in his home was jailed for seven years today under the Terrorism Act.

Hassan Tabbakh, a 38-year-old Syrian, was found with three bottles of liquid chemicals along with speeches by Osama bin Laden when he was arrested at his home in Birmingham in December last year.

Tabbakh, who claims he was tortured in his homeland, said he was making fireworks for a religious festival.

After the guilty verdict was returned, it emerged that Tabbakh was given indefinite leave to remain in the UK in 2005 after lodging an application for asylum. He had arrived in Britain in either 1999 or 2000, initially living in Hull.

Prosecutor Max Hill QC told the jury at the start of the trial that the evidence against Tabbakh was straightforward and compelling.

Mr Hill said police found numerous items following Tabbakh’s arrest on December 18 last year which showed that he was preparing to wage “al Qaida-style” jihad.

Among the items which proved that Tabbakh had a vibrant interest in Islamic extremism were his music and computer files, which included speeches by Osama bin Laden and the former leader of al Qaida in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Links to footage of attacks on coalition forces were also found on the former university student’s computer, while his MP3 player contained a Jihadi song which included the chorus: “This is the meaning of terrorism."

Most importantly, Mr Hill said, a cupboard in the hallway of the defendant’s flat contained three plastic bottles filled with bomb-making materials, as well as instructions written in Arabic.

Concluding his opening speech, Mr Hill told the jury: “The Crown’s case is that this defendant was caught in the process of a practical attempt to create improvised explosive devices.

“Because he was caught in the act, it follows that the defendant had not completed his task, so the bombs were not finally constructed.

“Equally, because he was caught in the act, neither the written instructions nor the bomb mixtures had reached their destination - when or where the bombs were going to be used is not known.”

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