Man who 'planned to blow up' two Liverpool mosques to face terrorism charge

A man who allegedly planned to make homemade bombs packed with nails and ball bearings and detonate them in two Liverpool mosques is to face a terrorism charge, the Daily Mail, BBC News and Wirral Globe report. Ian Forman, 41, of Birkenhead has been charged with engaging in conduct in the preparation of terrorist acts on or before 6 June.

Forman was arrested by officers from the North West Counter Terrorism Unit over concerns about chemical and explosive substances at a house in Wirral.

Forman allegedly photographed and labelled the Wirral Islamic Centre and the Penny Lane mosque as ‘targets’ before making a string of YouTube posts threatening to ‘blow them up’.

He is accused of stock-piling potassium nitrate, sulphur and charcoal, and drawing up a shopping list of bomb components, as well as creating spreadsheets for the prices of chemicals needed, and where they would be stocked.

Prosecuting counsel, Rebecca Mundy said: “Mr Forman researched mosques in his local area, researching their locations, and saving photos of them on his computer.

“He labelled them as “target one” and “target two”.”

She said he also made and tested improvised explosive devices, as well as running tests on ‘black powder’.

Forman was remanded in custody until his next court appearance. Mr Justice Sweeney rejected an application for bail and Forman will next appear in court on January 14 2014 when he will enter a plea to the charge.

The trial is expected to start on March 3 2014.

This latest case comes after a string of attacks on mosques throughout the country in the recent months following the murder of soldier Lee Rigby.

Last week, two men in Plymouth were sentenced for their ‘campaign of hate’ against Islamic centres in the south west inspired by Anders Breivik.

Earlier in the month, three teenagers were arrested on suspicion of arson after the Harrow Islamic Centre was torched.

Also this month, a church-goer from Staffordshire who threatened to ‘blow-up’ the local Islamic Centre was spared jail.

In August, a man was jailed for nine months for attacking a mosque in Braintree and in Huntingdon a plasterer received a four week sentence for smashing the windows of a mosque.

Similar incidents occurred in Neath, South Wales where the Tonna mosque was attacked twice, the second incident also involving an assault on a Muslim couple.

All of these attacks follow the bombing campaign in the West Midlands in June and July.