Businessman, 49, caught stockpiling chemicals is jailed
Businessman, 49, caught stockpiling chemicals in a rented storage unit after he took his laptop to a repair shop where they uncovered an 173-page ‘handbook’ including sections on ‘Jihad and Martyrdom’ and making explosives is jailed for eight years
- Asad Bhatti, 49, was caught stockpiling bomb-making materials at his home
- He was discovered after taking his laptop to be repaired at a shop in Caterham
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.
Asad Bhatti, 49, (pictured) was jailed for eight years today after being convicted at the Old Bailey
Bhatti was discovered after taking his laptop to be fixed at Computer Solutions in Caterham, and making the owner, Glen O’Dwyer, promise not to look at any of his data.
However, Mr O’Dwyer instead found a ‘significant library’ of material detailing the manufacture explosive devices and called police.
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’.
Detectives also found an Excel file listing natural and non-natural disasters which had happened alongside categorisations of the events by the number of death or injuries caused.
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.
Giving evidence at his trial, Bhatti claimed he had the materials for lawful experimentation and out of curiosity.
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.
The businessman was convicted of two counts of possession of explosive substances, two of possession of articles for terrorist purposes and one of making explosives.
Police discovered bomb-making materials at Asad Bhatti’s home on Holland Close, in Redhill Surrey (pictured)
Wearing a dark suit and a black and white patterned tie, Bhatti showed no emotion as he was jailed for eight years and with an additional four-year extended licence period.
Mrs Justice McGowan told him: ‘You have a deep seated hatred of the group you identified as ‘hypocrites’ and other groups you identified because of their race and sexuality.
‘You have not admitted any risk of harm despite the obvious risks your actions posed to those in your immediate vicinity, who included your family.
‘In late 2020 you were investigating the manufacture of explosives on a larger scale than before and I do find you present a significant risk of serious harm in the future.’
‘You were not targeted or taken advantage of by others. You became interested and that interest may well have been obsessive because of your autistic condition.
‘But the interest was real and caused you to experiment in a way that was highly dangerous,’ the judge said.
Defending Bhatti, Edward Henry, KC, said: ‘[He is] a fallible human being. An invisible cognitive disability has moulded his life.
‘That immensely fallible human being hardly measures up to the crimes he has been convicted of.
‘Autism is vitally important here. He sought to categorise and compartmentalise aspects of his life.
‘He desired certainty above all else. He needed certainty, peppered with conspiracy theories.
‘What he wanted to do was to reduce the world to his own reason. This man is sad. He’s been isolated, he’s been lonely all his life.’
Bomb making equipment shown to the jury in Asad Bhatti’s trial
Karen Robinson, prosecuting, earlier said Mr O’Dwyer was working at his shop on 29 December 2020.
‘Around lunchtime, the defendant visited the shop, and told Mr O’Dwyer that his laptop wasn’t starting up.
‘Mr O’Dwyer told the defendant that he could leave the laptop with him, and he would investigate the problem.
‘The defendant was reluctant to leave the laptop with the shop, and even asked if he could stay whilst the shop carried out the work, but eventually agreed to leave the device with the shop.
‘But not before making Mr O’Dwyer promise not to look at the data on the computer.
‘Mr O’Dwyer happened to see some of the file names as they copied across.
‘He noticed that some of the files were named ‘explosions’ or similar.
‘He saw a folder called ‘Explosive Business’, and within that, a number of other files linked to explosives.
‘Mr O’Dwyer was sufficiently concerned by what he had seen that he made contact with police about it on 31 December 2020.’
Police attended Computer Solutions and took the hard drive of Bhatti’s computer for forensic analysis.
The analysis revealed a floorplan for an explosives lab, a document titled ‘The Preparatory Manual of Explosives’ and one called ‘A complete guide to making an explosive device’.
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.
Asad Bhatti, 49, (pictured) was convicted of stockpiling bomb-making materials at his home in Redhill, Surrey
Police found the explosives, materials and manuals at his home, at Canning Town Storage Unit, and Rapid Storage Services, Smallfield.
In an Excel file found on Bhatti’s laptop titled ‘Consolidated’, police found events listed as natural and non-natural disasters.
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.’
Explosive making equipment shown to the jury in Asad Bhatti’s trial
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, KC, during the trial, asked what benefit he derived from his ‘projects’ involving explosives.
Bhatti replied: ‘Initially the research was not just explosives, but other things relating to security services.
‘Once I developed that interest my mindset took over and all my previous training kicked in to develop this further.
‘At the time it wasn’t maybe that common to use remote detonation, but now they use remote detonation in engineering, so my idea was ahead of its time.
‘I have had four or five analytical jobs and that just proves I have a naturally analytical mindset.’
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.’
Asked about his beliefs, he said: ‘In Islam you have different parts of creation, you have angels, Jinn and human beings.
‘Angels are created from light, Jinns are created from smoke, humans are created from mud, clay.
‘I actually have my own unique interpretation of this. God created Adam, and Adam was created from some part of the earth. I believe that the Jinns were made from some part of the sun.
‘Human beings are on the molecular atomic plane, Jinns are from a subatomic plane.
‘To analyse God’s actions. In the Muslim scripture we’re told toward the end of scripture you can see signs of the end of the world.’
Detectives discovered an improvised explosive device at a storage units rented by the financial analyst
Speaking of his time studying at Greenwich University, Bhatti told the court: ‘I was young and carefree and attending clubs and not studying.
‘I was taking cannabis and amphetamines and I was going days at a time without sleep.’
After university he started working as a licenced chauffeur and taxi driver for clients including Surrey County Council.
At the time of his arrest he was working at Gatwick airport as a part-time executive driver.
Bhatti, of Holland Close, Redhill, Surrey, denied but was convicted of two counts of possession of explosive substances, two of possession of articles for terrorist purposes and one of making explosives.
Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright, head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East , said: “This case is a perfect example of how important it is that the people within our communities, the people who know it best, are confident to report anything suspicious into us.
“While he evidently had the intent to equip himself with harmful substances, he was stopped and those devices were not deemed functional and he has now been bought to justice.”
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