Hospital worker plotted terror attack at St James's Hospital and RAF Menwith Hill, court told

A staff member plotted a "lone wolf" terror attack against the hospital where he worked and an RAF base after becoming radicalised online, a court has heard.

Clinical support worker Mohammad Farooq, 28, took a viable bomb made from a pressure cooker to St James's Hospital in Leeds.

He planned to detonate the device before attacking patients and staff with knives, Sheffield Crown Court was told.

Farooq hoped to "seal his own martyrdom" by having police shoot him dead, the jury heard.

Prosecutors say his attack was only foiled when a patient managed to "talk him down".

Farooq has pleaded guilty to possessing an explosive device with intent to endanger life but denies preparing terrorist acts.

Opening the prosecution's case on the first day of the trial, Jonathan Sandiford KC told the court: "By January 2023, the prosecution say that the defendant had become a self-radicalised lone wolf terrorist who had made preparations to commit a murderous terrorist attack in Yorkshire."

"Shortly before 5am of Friday 20January this year he was arrested outside Gledhow Wing, at St James's University Hospital in Leeds. He was employed at that hospital.

"The defendant was in possession of a viable improvised explosive device assembled from a pressure cooker and containing 9.9kg of low explosive.

"He also had with him, either on his person or in a bag, two knives, black tape and an imitation firearm. The Crown's case against this defendant is that he had gone to that hospital to commit a terrorist attack."

Mr Sandiford said Farooq planned to force an evacuation of the hospital by sending a text message warning of a bomb threat.

He then hoped to detonate the bomb he had made in the crowd before attacking any survivors with knives.

It was only because of two pieces of "good fortune" that he failed, Mr Sandiford said.

The message he sent warning of a bomb went to a staff member who was off-duty and did not see it.

Mr Sandiford said Farooq was then spotted by a patient, Nathan Newby, outside the hospital building.

He said: "He realised something appeared to be amiss with the defendant and so he began to talk to him, and that simply act, the prosecution say, certainly saved lives. It was as the defendant was later to tell the police officers, the man had succeeded in talking him down."

After arresting Farooq, police found evidence he had "self radicalised", Mr Sandiford said.

He had extremist material relating to the Islamic State and Al-Quaeda, the court heard.

Mr Sandiford said: "They found he had obtained bomb-making instructions by Inspire magazine - published by Al-Qaeda especially to encourage lone-wolf attacks in the West. The particular article that he had followed was entitled 'Build a Bomb in the kitchen of your home.'

"The defendant had identified RAF Menwith Hill, as a target for a terrorist attack. The reason for that was because Menwith Hill had been designated as a target of a lone wolf terrorist by the Islamic State because they believed it had been used to coordinate drone strikes against terrorist."

The trial continues.