Hisham Muhammad, 25, pictured, is accused of gathering an arsenal of weapons for a plot to attack an Army base, including ‘ninja eggs’ filled with glass and crushed chillies
An alleged ISIS supporter accused of plotting a ‘lone wolf’ attack on the British Army or police had ‘ninja eggs filled with shards of glass and crushed chillies’ among a horde of weapons, a court heard.
Hisham Muhammad, 25, is accused of gathering an arsenal including a variety of knives and a ‘makeshift stun gun’ at his home in Whitefield, Greater Manchester.
The Old Bailey has been told he had been doing research on Army bases as part of his plot and jurors today saw pictures of the glass ‘ninja’ eggs for the first time.
Robert Lewis, a forensic scientist with 34 years of experience, examined the contents for Greater Manchester Police and told the court that the eggs contained an orange or brown powder with a strong spicy scent, as well as shards of glass.
The first egg contained 16.6 grams of the powder and the second contained 5.4 grams.
Dr Lewis told jurors that the powder contained lacromating chemicals, which would cause ‘extreme irritation’ to the eyes and other mucus membranes of the body.
He said: ‘If this type of chemical got into your eye, your body would produce tears.’
Prosecutor Anne Whyte QC said: ‘This type of chemical is found in plants of the capsicum family, which includes chilli peppers.
‘You said you thought the orange or brown powder could be crushed pods from the chilli plant, mixed with shards of glass originally from a drinking glass.’
The eggs, pictured, would have been used as a ‘disorientation device’, according to a weapons expert, and the crushed chillies could have caused ‘extreme irritation’ to the eyes
A huge knife was among the haul of weapons at Muhammad’s Greater Manchester home
Mohammad (left) and Ahmad (right) are both on trial at the Old Bailey in London. They are pictured together in a court sketch
Ms Whyte previously told the court the prosecution believed the eggs could be used as a disorientating device in combination with other weapons found, including knives, machetes and bear claws.
Meanwhile the court heard explosives officers called in to raid the house only realised they were dealing with a potential bomb-factory after seeing sketches in a notebook.
Sergeant David Podmore, an Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) officer who had served in Afghanistan, spent two days looking at items found at the house in Whitefield.
When he returned on the second morning officers handed him an exercise book with a series of sketches that showed how to drop a bomb from a remote-controlled drone.
He told the Old Bailey he initially believed the house could have belonged to ‘somebody interested in circuitry’.
Sgt Podmore added the information officers found ‘could be relevant to the possible construction of an IED (improvised explosive device) using a drone’.
One gold-plated notebook included a reference to a DJI Phantom drone, and how to build a retaining system under a drone, referring to ‘popsicle sticks’, pins and a ‘release mechanism’.
There was a picture of an aeroplane wing with objects attached underneath, a test tube, and reference to a servo and capacitor.
Notes were also found, pictured, that suggested he planned to use a drone to deliver a bomb
A selection of knives were found on the windowsill of the property it is claimed, along with what appeared to be a UK passport
There was also an image of a ‘bomb’ to be attached to a drone with fins attached.
Having looked at the sketches, the explosive officer told the court he examined lollipop sticks which had been used to build a ‘release mechanism’ that could be attached to the drone.
The court heard test tubes were found with a white substance inside but it was found to be flour when examined.
Counter-terrorism police had been called in by the landlord of the rented house, who was alarmed to find electrical items and a number of knives in an upstairs bedroom.
The landlord went to police after turning up to demand the unpaid rent from the two tenants, who are originally from Bermuda
Officers searching the property, in June last year, found four axes, a homemade weapon that had been welded together and a stash of kitchen knives.
In the house and shed, they also found the box for a Mini FPV drone, and SG101 drone and two ‘Salvation Max’ helicopters.
There were also a number of Army recruitment leaflets including a typed letter from the Fifth Fusiliers in Bury, which prosecutors say may have been a target for the attack.
Notes were also found written in French that appeared to have been taken from an ISIS propaganda video.
Muhammad lived at the house with his cousin, Faisal Ahmad, 24, sleeping in the same room, while allegedly using the other two upstairs rooms to build and store weapons.
The court heard he was allegedly planning to copy the method of drone attack used by rebels in Iraq, using funds he had raised from a fake escort agency.
Ms Whyte said police found another exercise book with footballers on the front which had handwriting on an inside page ‘relevant to attempting to make explosive material.’
Images taken from Muhammad’s home shows a variety of materials and appliances
A third exercise book found down the side of an upstairs sofa, had a page headed: ‘The recipe’ which referred to hydrogen chloride, while another had a sketch of a pressure cooker, which could also be used to make a bomb.
Weapons found in the house included a stainless steel kitchen knife, was found in a drawer in the kitchen, along with three knife blades, varying in length from 9cm to 20cm.
Two more knives were found in an upstairs bedroom – one was another kitchen knife, and the other a curved blade with a cover.
In the large front bedroom, behind a mattress on the floor, was an axe in an MTech USA case. Leaning against the chimney was a Gerber machete in its case.
On the floor next to the chimney, was a tomahawk axe with feathers attached. An axe with a curved blade was found under the window and a fourth axe was found on the floor between the window and sofa
In an unused fridge in the kitchen there was an Arczoo welder which had been used to make an improvised axe.
A red Chicken Cottage polo shirt had several slash marks that the prosecution alleged, showed Muhammad practising for a knife attack.
A pizza box found in the recycling bin, which had a union flag and the words ‘At heart’ on it, had been slashed three times with a knife.
The box for a Tesco upright vacuum cleaner had also been slashed at with a knife.
One electronic item was described as a ‘makeshift stun gun’ and there were a total of four pairs of camouflage trousers and a black facemask.
Muhammad denies preparing acts of terrorism and Ahmad denies failing to inform police. The case continues.