RYANAIR BOMBER
Dad convicted of trying to blow up plane with device disguised as pen
THIS is the moment a man walked through an airport carrying a pipe bomb which he intended to use to blow up a Ryanair plane.
CCTV shows Nadeem Muhammed, 43, wheeling his luggage through Manchester airport with the “crude” device disguised as a pen.
Experts said it was capable of blowing a hole in the fuselage.
An airport scanner detected the bomb in Muhammed’s hand luggage.
But he was allowed to board another flight from the UK just days later.
Muhammed was arrested on his return after further tests were carried out on the 6in long device.
Yesterday, he was found guilty of possessing explosives with intent to endanger life or property.
Prosecutors said Muhammed planned to detonate the device during a flight to Bergamo, Italy.
Police later admitted there had been “errors”.
Superintendent Graeme Openshaw said: “We have reviewed the way we respond to suspicious items found during the security process.”
Pakistan-born Muhammed, who held an Italian passport and ran a car repair business in Bergamo, moved to Bolton, near Manchester, with his wife and children last year.
He was stopped at Manchester airport in January.
The bomb, which was made from a marker pen and contained nitroglycerin, was found in the lining of his bag.
Security manager Deborah Jeffrey passed it to police. A swab was taken but it came back negative for explosives.
Muhammed denied any knowledge of it and was allowed to go home before flying to Italy a few days later.
While he was away, the device was re-examined. An explosives expert said it had the potential to cause injury.
Muhammad was arrested when he arrived back at Manchester from Milan on February 12.
He denied having a bomb but was found guilty at Manchester Crown Court. He will be sentenced later,
Sue Hemming, of the special crime and counter-terrorism division of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “His motive for attempting to take this device on to a plane remains unknown.
“The consequences could have been disastrous.”
A Whitehall source said: “It is not believed this man was a threat to national security.
“It is not being treated as being in connection with any terrorist organisation.”