Terror girl, 16, claimed she sketched bomb-making recipe after watching Blue Peter

The girlfriend of a 14-year-old boy who was involved in a plot to attack police officers in Australia has admitted possessing bomb-making material.

The 16-year-old, from Manchester, said she had been innocently sketching out a bomb-making recipe as a project for school after watching Blue Peter.

But officers found graphic material supporting so-called Islamic State on her phone.

She also used school computers to search for "Jihadi John" - the infamous British IS militant who has beheaded Western hostages - and Lee Rigby's killer Michel Adebolajo.

The teenager, who cannot be named, admitted two charges of possession of documents likely to be of use to anyone preparing or committing an act of terrorism at Manchester Youth Court today.

The boy admitted involvement in the Anzac Day plot last month. Credit: Prescilla Coleman/ITV News

She was granted bail by the judge, who agreed to amend the curfew conditions to allow her to attend college.

Police started to investigate the schoolgirl as part of a probe into her 14-year-old boyfriend, who admitted encouraging an IS-inspired plot to behead police officers during Anzac Day celebrations in Australia.

Officers said a total of 16,260 WhatsApp messages were sent between the pair during an eight-day period in March.

While they are not believed to have met, their conversations showed they were in a relationship and included many declarations of love and discussions about marriage, children and their future lives together.

They also discussed together the benefits of travelling to Syria.

Mohammed Emwazi as a student (left), and as Jihadi John (right). Credit: PA Wire
Michael Adebolajo who murdered Lee Rigby in May 2013. Credit: Metropolitan Police
Osama Bin Laden, the former leader of al-Qaeda. Credit: Reuters

The boy sent her a screenshot of a conversation he shared with 18-year-old Sevdet Besim about the Anzac plot, while the girl said she had made plans of her own.

After she was arrested on April 3, officers discovered a sketchpad with a handwritten recipe for explosives at her house.

The girl claimed that the work was for a school project and that she had been inspired by a Blue Peter programme on fireworks.

However, counter-terror officers found extremist material on her Blackberry.

This included pictures of:

  • a dead child

  • an execution

  • people about to be beheaded

  • guns, knives and grenades

  • IS flags and symbols

  • quotes such as: “I love that I should be killed in the way of Allah” and “Only Jihad No Democracy”

  • IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Osama bin Laden, and preacher Anwar al-Awlaki

Pictures of Islamic State flags were discovered on the girl's phone. Credit: Reuters

An al-Qaeda recipe called “Make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom” included instructions for producing a pipe bomb and timer circuit was also discovered.

However, the court heard that no evidence was found that she was aware or played any part in the Anzac Day plot or any plan to harm others or incite terrorism in the UK or elsewhere.

The girl, wearing a headscarf and striped cardigan, spoke only to confirm her name in court today.

Her bail conditions include a 9pm to 7am curfew, reporting to police three times a week, a ban on applying for travel documents or a passport and a ban on travelling outside England and Wales.

She will be seen by a youth offending team and a psychologist before she is sentenced on October 15.