Couple found guilty of plotting terror attack

A couple who met on a dating website have been found guilty of plotting an Islamic State-inspired attack on Britain with a home-made bomb and ricin poison attack. Munir Mohammed, 36, an asylum seeker from Sudan, and pharmacist Rowaida El-Hassan, 33, from London, met on a dating website. The jury heard how El-Hassan knew what chemicals were needed to make a bomb. With El-Hassan’s help, Mohammed visited a number of shops in Derby, trying to get a pressure cooker. When police raided his home in December 2016, they found chemicals, a counterfeit driving licence, and an instruction manual for the bomb he was making. Forensic experts and the army bomb squad had to be called to ensure the area was safe. A pack of face masks and a container of drain cleaner were found in El-Hassan’s flat. Mohammed also sent her violent ISIS videos, with some showing children executing prisoners. Paul Greenwood, senior investigating officer from Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: “Munir clearly had a really strong Islamic extremist view of the world. He quickly brought Rowaida El-Hassan in with his plans and they were extremely dangerous as a combination. “I have no doubt that it would've been an attack that would've resulted in numerous fatalities and injuries.”