Man to face trial over possession of terror manuals

A YORKSHIRE man who is accused of having terror instruction manuals will go on trial today at the Old Bailey in London.

Umar Hafeez, 37, is charged with 13 counts of possessing a record of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Hafeez, of Heaton Road, Bradford, pleaded not guilty to all charges when he appeared at the Central Criminal Court in Oxford back in May. He was remanded into custody until his trial, which starts today.

Hafeez is accused of possessing records with titles including Step By Step Knifemaking, You Can Do It!

Other files he is accused of possessing include The Anarchist Cookbook by The Jolly Roger, Put ’Em Down, Take ’Em Out and How To Survive In The West.

Just last month, in an unrelated offence, Kieran Cleary, 16, from Bradford was sentenced to five years in prison for terrorism and explosive offences.

On sentencing, the judge lifted restrictions which had previously protected Cleary’s identity.

Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North East arrested Cleary in August 2018.

When officers searched his home they found, in his bedroom, a device constructed in line with instructions around the manufacture of a CO2 bomb. The device was not fully completed and was not classed as viable.

Analysis of Cleary’s online activity showed extensive research around bomb-making, searches about attacks on Muslims, and a wide range of videos showing death, mutilation and torture – clearly showing an escalating interest in violence and extreme ideology.