“Lone Wolf” terrorist found guilty

July 8, 2024

Jonathan Sandiford KC ( RLC Associate Tenant) has successfully prosecuted a “self-radicalised lone wolf terrorist” who wanted to “kill as many nurses as possible”.

Mohammad Farooq, 28, was arrested outside St James’s Hospital in Leeds with a pressure cooker bomb having immersed himself in “extremist Islamic ideology”. He went to the hospital to “seek his own martyrdom” through a “murderous terrorist attack”. Police later found him to also be in possession of two knives, black tape and a blank firing, imitation firearm.

Mr Farooq was a clinical support worker at the hospital and his “secondary motive” for choosing it was that he had a grievance against several of his former colleagues and had been conducting a poison pen campaign against them.

He was stopped by a patient who was outside having a cigarette and managed to talk him down.

Mr Farooq pleaded guilty to firearms offences, possessing an explosive substance with intent and having a document likely to be useful to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism.

The jury returned a guilty verdict on the charge of preparing terrorist acts after deliberating for less than two hours.

Jonathan has 20 years’ experience of prosecuting a range of sensitive terrorism cases which also involve race hate, individuals with terrorist connections, internet based offending to preparing murder and mass casualty attacks: [Jonathan Sandiford KC Profile]

RLC terrorism barristers have formidable experience in terrorism law, having defended and prosecuted in some of the highest profile terrorism cases which include dealing with issues of national security and closed proceedings. Read more: [Red Lion Chambers – Terrorism ]

News stories:
[Telegraph]
[ITV News]
[Standard]
[Metro]
[Sky News]
[BBC News]