Asad Bhatti appeared to be a normal 47-year-old financial analyst from Redhill, Surrey. Yet, the unsuspicious businessman assembled home-made explosives and an extremist handbook.
Bhatti was making nitro-glycerine, an explosive liquid, and was testing in his garden. Less than eight miles away, he had also hired a storage unit where he housed his chemicals and equipment. As well as his explosives, Bhatti wrote a document titled ‘The Believer's Handbook’. The document was found on his computer and detailed how to make bombs along with extremist views.
Bhatti took his laptop to a computer repair firm in Caterham where the owner, discovered suspicious files on weapons and even a detailed guide titled 'How to make nitro-glycerine in your kitchen'.
Due to the IT technicians trusting their instincts, Bhatti's harmful ploys were prevented from becoming reality. The employees reported their findings to the police which meant Counter Terrorism Policing could get involved and arrest Bhatti. He was arrested and charged in January 2021 and will be sentenced in April of this year.
It only takes a moment to report online. If you’ve seen or heard something that could be related to terrorism, trust your instincts and report it. Your actions could save lives.
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