Profile: the oddball bomber

A Muslim convert today admitted launching a suicide bomb attack on a busy restaurant in Devon which failed when one of the devices exploded in his hands.

Nicky Reilly, 22, who appeared under the name Mohammad Rashid Saeed-Alim, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to attacking the Giraffe restaurant in Exeter on May 22 this year.

The court heard how Reilly, who has a low IQ and a history of mental illness, used the internet to research how to make bombs using caustic soda, paraffin and nails and also received online encouragement and advice.

But when he attempted to assemble one of the bombs in a glass soft drink bottle in the toilet cubicle of the restaurant it exploded prematurely. Reilly, of King Street, Plymouth, was arrested when he staggered outside after suffering serious facial injuries in the blast.

Reilly appeared in court via videolink from Belmarsh prison wearing a smart blue shirt and tie, and pleaded guilty to two of four charges on the indictment — attempted murder and engaging in preparation for terrorism. Two charges under the Explosives Act were not put to him because Stuart Baker, prosecutiing, told the court that they were alternatives to the more serious charges.

Reilly was remanded in custody for sentencing at the Old Bailey on Friday, November 21, before which Kerim Fuad, for the defence, said that he wanted to present a statement and psychiatric report for the court. He said: "There is much I wish to advance on behalf of this defendant’s unusual and complex personal background which led to this ugly and dangerous incident."

Standing more than 6ft tall and weighing around 18 stone, Reilly was said to be a well-known figure on the streets of Plymouth, where he shared a council flat with his mother.

The judge, Mr Justice Calvert-Smith, told the court that Reilly converted to Islam when he was 16 or 17 years old and became increasingly drawn to violent action in support of his fellow Muslims and to the idea of himself becoming a martyr.

"Although he told police he had long nursed an ambition to become a martyr it was only in 2008 that he began to conduct searches into how to carry out what eventually took place on May 22, including purchasing a suicide vest," he said.

He said that Reilly reconnoitred a number of possible targets including a police station and shopping centre in Plymouth and Devonport Dockyard.

"There was some debate revealed by comments on the computer about what sort of person should be targeted — public servants such as police officers or ordinary citizens —— and in the end the decision was made to target ordinary citizens in a restaurant," the judge said.

Over a period of several months, Reilly bought all the necessary equipment to construct two types of improvised device, one using caustic soda and one using kerosene. He planned to construct the bombs in glass bottles packed with nails, to maximise the destruction.

Reilly travelled to Exeter on the X38 bus on the morning of the explosions with six bottles, three filled with caustic soda and three with kerosene, including chemicals found in drain cleaner.

As he prepared them in the toilets of the restaurant, one exploded, leaving him with burns to his face and arms. Royal Navy bomb disposal experts were brought in to examine the unexploded devices.

Police said that 24 customers and 11 staff were in the restaurant as the bomb went off at around 1pm. A further 20 people were lunching outside.

"This was a criminal act calculated to cause harm and spread panic," Debbie Simpson, Assistant Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, said today.

Reilly wasted no time in confessing after the failed attack, telling detectives from his hospital bed only hours later that he had wanted to kill himself and as many others as possible in a suicide attack.

One senior prosecutor said: "He told police he intended to martyr himself and to kill others in the restaurant. In his words, this was in retaliation for the oppression of Muslims around the world and in relation to world events of recent years.

"His initial explanation was given in a slightly disjointed way as he was left in shock by the premature explosion."

Police are still trying to track down two people who encouraged Reilly online and have made inquiries abroad as to their whereabouts.

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