A man has been accused of trying to detonate a bomb he said was “twice the size” of the device used in the deadly 2013 Boston Marathon bombing outside a hospital in the United Kingdom.
The man behind the alleged attempt, Mohammed Farooq, 28, was arrested on suspicion of targeting St James’s Hospital in Leeds where he worked on January 20, 2023.
On Wednesday, June 19, Sheffield Crown Court reviewed transcripts of his post-arrest interview, where he denied planning terrorist acts but pleaded guilty to possessing an explosive substance with intent, BBC News reports.
New HBO documentary explores 1995 Oklahoma City bombing — ‘crossroads’ for domestic US terrorism
Farooq also pleaded guilty to possessing a document that would be useful to someone planning or committing an act of terrorism.
According to the newspaper, Farooq discovered that the pressure cooker bomb contained about 7 kg (15 lb.) of gunpowder and could “explode [up] room” when asked about the strength of the alleged explosive.
“It should have been twice the size of the Boston Marathon bomb,” the clinical support worker said, adding that no others were involved and the attempt was a “lonely job”. In 2013, the Boston Marathon bombing killed three people and injured more than 250 others (with at least 17 surviving victims losing limbs in the terrorist attack).
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(2526x0:2528x2)/boston-marathon-one-year-after-bombings-526944910-5ab699e48e1b6e0037e9754d.jpg)
Runners compete in the Boston Marathon one year after the attack. Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images Boston Marathon bombing victim’s brother finishes Boston Marathon: ‘You have to keep fighting’
Elsewhere in his interview, Farooq explained his motives behind the bomb and claimed he wanted to scare his colleagues into “countering the rumors about me”.
“This has been building up for about a year now,” he said in the report. “A man can only take so much.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt anybody,” he continued, and revealed that he sent the manager a warning message to “scare them” and “get a little revenge.”
“Just seeing the look of fear on their faces, that’s all,” Farooq added. “I’m taking care of patients, that’s my job, I don’t want to hurt more people and send them to the hospital.”
Boston Strong: Moving Photos of the 2013 Marathon Bombing and Aftermath
According to the source, Farooq confided his intentions to a patient at the hospital named Nathan Newby, who told him his plan “wasn’t worth it.” He then told Newby to “call the police.”
Want to keep up with the latest crime reports? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for the latest crime news, coverage of ongoing trials and details on intriguing unsolved cases.
After his arrest, Det Con Maisie Stevens, of West Yorkshire Police, said officers found gunpowder, a blank firing gun, nails and two knives and other weapons at his home in Leeds.
A search of the property also found ingredients for explosives and “numerous fuses”.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education