A financial analyst who was caught stockpiling bomb-making materials after taking his laptop to a computer repair shop was today jailed for eight years.
Asad Bhatti, 49, was convicted of having a stash of chemicals and circuity that could be used to make explosives at his home in Redhill, Surrey after police received a tip-off from a computer repair shop.
Detectives also found an improvised explosive device and a chemical mixture described as ‘black powder’ inside a storage unit that was rented out by the ‘intelligent’ and ‘well-educated’ businessman.
His computer was revealed to contain a ‘significant library’ of bomb-making instruction manuals alongside a 173-page ‘handbook’ he had compiled, with sections on ‘martyrdom’ and ‘jihad’.
The ex-University of Greenwich student was described as having a ‘deep-seated’ hatred for a group of Muslims he identified as ‘The Hypocrites’ as well as others based on their race and sexuality….
Alongside sections on martyrdom and jihad, Bhatti’s unfinished 173-page manual, titled The Mu’min’s Handbook, also contained chapters called ‘a simple guide to explosives’, ‘hand-to-hand combat’ and ‘handguns and sniper rifles’.
The 20th chapter entitled The Munaafiqun (The Hypocrites) identified a perceived worldwide ‘enemy’ to Islam and its ‘true adherents’.
He wrote that the ‘evil human beings’ included ‘corrupt heads of Governments, Black Magicians, Religious Scholars’….
Bhatti categorised events to homosexuals and to black people in disparaging and unpleasant terms.
The former engineering and business management student denied that he was either racist or homophobic….
The 49-year-old admitted he dug a deep hole in his garden to pour away nitroglycerine he kept in his fridge but claimed he was just carrying out experiments at home….
A password protected, 173-page word document was also uncovered called ‘The Mu’min’s Handbook’, written by Bhatti himself.
‘The contents appear to include a number of chapters on Islam and the Islamic faith,’ Ms Robinson said.
‘His handbook, his believers’ handbook, goes on to include sections on ‘Jihad and Martyrdom’, followed immediately thereafter by sections on ‘a simple guide to explosives’, ‘hand-to-hand combat’, and ‘handguns and sniper rifles’.
An excel spreadsheet titled ‘Explosives Data’ listing 80 items against their individual costs was found.
‘This is the defendant setting out what might be needed and how much it might cost to set up a lab and manufacture explosives.’
As a result of these findings, police arrested Bhatti at his home address on January 8….
Ms Robinson added: ‘There was categorisation of each event as being suitable either for the hijabi Munaafiqun dogs (male) or the Munaafiqun sisters (female).
‘He has entered either yes or no for the particular events are listed.
‘The document refers in some of the categorisation of events to homosexuals and to black people in disparaging and unpleasant terms.
‘His views on homosexuality were bound up with his views on the Hypocrites of Islam.
‘He was asked about this document in interview.
‘He said that if homosexuals were ‘doing something wrong in the eyes of God they’re answerable to God’.
‘He said he didn’t hate people for their race or their colour, but he does hate the munaafiquns.
‘He said: ‘These people if they had it their way they would try to change the religion, and for example, they would have like homosexual imams.’
‘He said it was God who instructed him to view the munafiq as the enemy, and to beware of them.
‘He said: ‘My hate for the munaafiqun is part of my faith.’
The excel spreadsheet features columns titled ‘Fundamentals of Faith and Practice’, ‘Essential Knowledge’, ‘The Need of the Time’, ‘Jihad Training’, and ‘Jihad’.
The latter two columns featured subheadings such as ‘Handgun training’, ‘Advanced Sniper Training’, ‘Making Detonators’ and ‘Targets’….
Mr Henry said: ‘What is your mindset so far as killing people is concerned?’
Bhatti said: ‘It doesn’t come into my mindset.
‘I am totally opposed to terrorism. I’ve got no interest in terrorism.
‘I don’t want it to turn into a religious lecture, but God has honoured human beings by putting them above angels. God has ruled that if you kill one person you kill the whole of mankind.’…
At the time of his arrest he was working at Gatwick airport as a part-time executive driver….
Asad Bhatti, 49, was convicted of having a stash of chemicals and circuity that could be used to make explosives at his home in Redhill, Surrey after police received a tip-off from a computer repair shop.
Detectives also found an improvised explosive device and a chemical mixture described as ‘black powder’ inside a storage unit that was rented out by the ‘intelligent’ and ‘well-educated’ businessman.
His computer was revealed to contain a ‘significant library’ of bomb-making instruction manuals alongside a 173-page ‘handbook’ he had compiled, with sections on ‘martyrdom’ and ‘jihad’.
The ex-University of Greenwich student was described as having a ‘deep-seated’ hatred for a group of Muslims he identified as ‘The Hypocrites’ as well as others based on their race and sexuality….
Alongside sections on martyrdom and jihad, Bhatti’s unfinished 173-page manual, titled The Mu’min’s Handbook, also contained chapters called ‘a simple guide to explosives’, ‘hand-to-hand combat’ and ‘handguns and sniper rifles’.
The 20th chapter entitled The Munaafiqun (The Hypocrites) identified a perceived worldwide ‘enemy’ to Islam and its ‘true adherents’.
He wrote that the ‘evil human beings’ included ‘corrupt heads of Governments, Black Magicians, Religious Scholars’….
Bhatti categorised events to homosexuals and to black people in disparaging and unpleasant terms.
The former engineering and business management student denied that he was either racist or homophobic….
The 49-year-old admitted he dug a deep hole in his garden to pour away nitroglycerine he kept in his fridge but claimed he was just carrying out experiments at home….
A password protected, 173-page word document was also uncovered called ‘The Mu’min’s Handbook’, written by Bhatti himself.
‘The contents appear to include a number of chapters on Islam and the Islamic faith,’ Ms Robinson said.
‘His handbook, his believers’ handbook, goes on to include sections on ‘Jihad and Martyrdom’, followed immediately thereafter by sections on ‘a simple guide to explosives’, ‘hand-to-hand combat’, and ‘handguns and sniper rifles’.
An excel spreadsheet titled ‘Explosives Data’ listing 80 items against their individual costs was found.
‘This is the defendant setting out what might be needed and how much it might cost to set up a lab and manufacture explosives.’
As a result of these findings, police arrested Bhatti at his home address on January 8….
Ms Robinson added: ‘There was categorisation of each event as being suitable either for the hijabi Munaafiqun dogs (male) or the Munaafiqun sisters (female).
‘He has entered either yes or no for the particular events are listed.
‘The document refers in some of the categorisation of events to homosexuals and to black people in disparaging and unpleasant terms.
‘His views on homosexuality were bound up with his views on the Hypocrites of Islam.
‘He was asked about this document in interview.
‘He said that if homosexuals were ‘doing something wrong in the eyes of God they’re answerable to God’.
‘He said he didn’t hate people for their race or their colour, but he does hate the munaafiquns.
‘He said: ‘These people if they had it their way they would try to change the religion, and for example, they would have like homosexual imams.’
‘He said it was God who instructed him to view the munafiq as the enemy, and to beware of them.
‘He said: ‘My hate for the munaafiqun is part of my faith.’
The excel spreadsheet features columns titled ‘Fundamentals of Faith and Practice’, ‘Essential Knowledge’, ‘The Need of the Time’, ‘Jihad Training’, and ‘Jihad’.
The latter two columns featured subheadings such as ‘Handgun training’, ‘Advanced Sniper Training’, ‘Making Detonators’ and ‘Targets’….
Mr Henry said: ‘What is your mindset so far as killing people is concerned?’
Bhatti said: ‘It doesn’t come into my mindset.
‘I am totally opposed to terrorism. I’ve got no interest in terrorism.
‘I don’t want it to turn into a religious lecture, but God has honoured human beings by putting them above angels. God has ruled that if you kill one person you kill the whole of mankind.’…
At the time of his arrest he was working at Gatwick airport as a part-time executive driver….
