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Mohammed Rehman and Sana Ahmed Khan were found guilty today of preparing for acts of terrorism in the UK by buying chemicals online in order to make explosives for a martyrdom attack. The husband and wife were convicted of the charge during a hearing at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, December 29.
Rehman, 25, from Radstock Road in Reading and Khan, 24 from Hutton Close in Earley, Wokingham plotted together after becoming radicalised following a secret marriage in October 2013.
They were arrested in May following a tip-off and their case has been heard at the Old Bailey over the past four weeks.
During the trial, the couple denied the charges put to them and Rehman’s solicitor, Zafar Ali QC, told the court that the jobless defendant was ‘pathetic’ and did not compare to real Islamic extremists.
Referring to the martyrdom video of 7/7/ bomber Shehzad Tanweer which Rehman had stored on his phone he said: “Shehzad Tanweer looked lean, mean, and single-minded. He looked dead behind the eyes.
“You may want to watch the video again. You may think Shehzad Tanweer was a true psychopath, a true committed jihadist, single-minded, ruthless, determined.
“A bit of a difference between Shehzad Tanweer and Mohammed Rehman sitting in that dock crying like a baby when his family came to give evidence against him.”
However, during the trial, the court saw a range of evidence including a video, shot on Rehman’s mobile phone, of a test explosion using chemicals that Khan had bought for him.
It is believed that Rehman was days away from completing a bomb when he was arrested.
During the the raid, Thames Valley Police found a hunting knife similar to that used by Jihadi John.
They also found evidence of test devices that Rehman has been working on.
Rehman aroused suspicion after posting on Twitter as the Silent Bomber. The jury were shown screen grabs of some of his tweets, including one where he asked followers for advice on whether he should target the London Underground or a shopping centre such as Westfield.
He also took to Twitter to say that he had rigged his house with explosives that he would detonate “if the popo [police] try to raid”.
Rehman and Khan plotted together after becoming radicalised following a secret marriage in October 2013. They lived apart despite their relationship and the court learnt of their closeness during the trial. The pair had known each other since they were teenagers, meeting in 2007.
The pair are expected to be sentenced later this week.
