A student who bought a car bomb off the dark web in a plot to murder his Sikh parents because they didn’t like his white girlfriend has been jailed for eight years.
Gurtej Singh Randhawa, 19, from Wolverhampton, hatched the scheme after his mother and father discovered he was dating a girl they disapproved of.
Fearing his parents would try to end the relationship, the A-Level pupil plotted to kill the pair in a bid to stay with his new lover, Birmingham Crown Court heard.
A-Level student Gurtej Singh Randhawa, 19, from Wolverhampton, hatched a plot to murder his Sikh parents after they discovered he was dating a white girl who they disapproved of
He received a package containing what he believed was a remotely detonated explosive in May last year after ordering it on a website called AlphaBay.
But his plan was foiled after FBI agents posed as dealers then intercepted the deadly delivery.
He asked them questions such as ‘what is the radius on the device?’ and ‘would it make a big explosion if it was in stand still traffic?’
Officers replaced the package with a dummy device before it was delivered to the address Randhawa provided when making the internet purchase.
He was arrested by the National Crime Agency’s Armed Operations Unit after they observed him testing the device.
The teenager also attempted to purchase lethal drugs such as ricin and opioids a year earlier but these were not delivered, the court heard.
Randhawa of Grove Lane, Wolverhampton, admitted attempting to import a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED).
In November he was found guilty of maliciously possessing an explosive substance with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury.
And yesterday Randhawa was jailed for a total of eight years at Birmingham Crown Court.
Two women – aged 45 and 18 – who were arrested at the time have since been released with no further action.
Sentencing the teen, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb told Randhawa: ‘You are plainly highly intelligent and capable of determined manipulation.
‘You told sustained lies to your girlfriend and her family about your own parents, particularly your father.
‘I have no doubt that this offence was motivated by your desire to live with your girlfriend and attend university together.
‘How the major changes in your life that you wished for were to be achieved, included endangering the life of your father by setting off an explosion in his car.
‘This was an offence of astonishing audacity.
‘You obtained the explosives, so you thought, having paid for the device using crypto-currency and arranged for its delivery to an address away from your own home.’
But his plan was foiled after FBI agents posed as dealers then intercepted the deadly delivery. Eerie footage shows Randhawa receiving the dummy device
A former pupil at Wolverhampton Grammar School, Randhawa had accepted an offer to study medicine at Liverpool University.
Andy Young, from the CPS International Justice and Organised Crime Division, said: ‘Gurtej Randhawa attempted to purchase explosives which could have resulted in deaths or serious injuries had they been used.
‘He denied he planned to use the explosives to cause injury but the CPS demonstrated to the jury that this was a lie and Randhawa was observed attempting to test his device before being arrested.
‘Randhawa had used the dark web in an attempt to avoid detection but instead he is now serving a significant prison sentence.’
Tim Gregory, from the NCA’s Armed Operations Unit, said: ‘The explosive device Randhawa sought to purchase online had the potential to cause serious damage and kill many people if he had been successful in using it.
‘He was not involved in an organised crime group or linked to terrorism, but his actions show he is someone who poses a significant risk to the community.
‘Identifying people like Randhawa – who seek to access illegal firearms and weapons – is a priority for the NCA and we will not stop in our efforts to make sure they are arrested and held accountable for their actions’.