British man found guilty of possessing secret codes, manual linked to al Qaeda News
British man found guilty of possessing secret codes, manual linked to al Qaeda

[JURIST] A British Muslim man was found guilty in London Friday for "possessing articles useful for terrorists" including a hand-written instruction manual explaining how to fire mortars and secret codes that British police linked to al Qaeda. Andrew Rowe [BBC profile] had been under surveillance by British police prior to his arrest and several searches of his homes uncovered videos glorifying the September 11 attacks on the US, traces of explosives, and a notebook containing secret codes using cell phone numbers to identify airports, army bases and weapons. A jury at London's Old Bailey Central Criminal Court [Wikipedia backgrounder] convicted Rowe of possessing the codes and weapons manual, but did not reach a verdict regarding the traces of explosives which were found in two rolled-up socks. Both charges have a maximum sentence of 10 years. Rowe has denied the charges [BBC report] but an anti-terrorism official said he was a "committed jihadist" known worldwide and "the evidence suggests he was planning an attack." Reuters has more. BBC News has local coverage.