LONDON, July 12 (Xinhua) -- A man allegedly planning deadly terror attacks in Britain was found guilty by a court jury Friday after a six-week trial.
Anti-terror cops in England said the arrest of Farhad Salah, 24, resulted in the early disruption of attack planning before a target could be identified.
Salah from Sheffield in Yorkshire was found guilty of preparing to commit an act of terrorism, following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing North East. Salah will be back in court on July 24 to be sentenced by the judge.
Police said Salah had expressed a desire to fight in Daesh (ISIL) occupied territory but was frustrated that he was unable to travel as a result of his unsettled immigration status. This frustration led to him exploring alternative ways to support the terror group, police added.
A spokesperson for Counter Terrorism Policing said: "The police investigation uncovered extensive evidence that Salah possessed an extremist ideology. He was in possession of a wide range of extremist material, including Daesh propaganda films.
Much of this material was extremely disturbing, involving horrific scenes of torture and murder. Officers also recovered deeply concerning messages which revealed an affiliation with Daesh and a belief in violent Jihad."
Detective Chief Superintendent Martin Snowden said: "During the course of this case Salah has been inconsistent in his explanation of the evidence. He tried to defend his possession of extremist material and the content of his online communications, claiming his account was hacked and he was merely curious about the ideology of Daesh.
"Today the jury saw through these justifications and agreed that Salah was in fact a dangerous individual, who was preparing for acts that may have resulted in loss of life. Salah clearly had an extremist mind set and communication from him indicates that he saw his situation as critical. He claimed he was a terrorist, who would be judged by God."
Snowden added: "While our investigation did not establish the target of a potential attack, Salah posed a very real risk to the safety of our communities. We're grateful we were able to disrupt his plans before he'd identified an opportunity to see them through."
