Mystery asylum seeker kept bomb manuals
By John Steele, Crime Correspondent
A failed asylum seeker who kept a collection of manuals on how to carry out car bombings, with guidance on “suitable targets” including nightclubs and airports, is facing a lengthy jail sentence.
Omar Altimimi, 37, who had links to al-Qa’eda, was a “clean skin” who was unknown as a terror suspect when he arrived in England and applied for jobs with the police and as a teacher.
However, he used multiple identities to cover his tracks and was so successful that police are still unsure of his true identity. He also hoarded computer files detailing how to carry out terror attacks.
The father-of-three, from Bolton, Lancs, was found guilty on Wednesday of four counts of possessing material for the purpose of terrorism following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.Yesterday, he was convicted of two more charges of possession of material for a purpose connected with terrorism and two charges of money laundering.
Altimimi claimed to have no knowledge of the material on his computer. But the court heard he was linked to terrorists in the Netherlands and to Junade Feroze, 31, from Blackburn, who was jailed last month for 22 years for his part in bomb plots led by Dhiren Barot, a prominent al-Qa’eda terrorists in the UK.
Altimimi came to Britain from the Netherlands in 2002 claiming asylum for himself, his wife and their three children. He claimed benefits, including more than £100,000 from the National Asylum Support Service, while applying for jobs with Greater Manchester Police and a local college.
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