'There is a bomb on your ward - evacuate everyone' - listen to chilling voicenote sent by 'lone wolf terrorist'

The chilling voice note terrorist Mohammad Farooq sent to a colleague telling her to "evacuate everyone" as he fot ready to bomb St James' Hospital has been released.

Farooq used a voice-changing app to disguise his voice before telling the woman: "There is a bomb on your ward. Evacuate everyone."

His colleague, who worked alongside him at the Leeds hospital, did not see the message for an hour as she was watching TV. On Tuesday, Farooq was found guilty of preparing an act of terrorism at the hospital. He had previously admitted firearms offences, possessing an explosive substance with intent and having a document likely to be useful to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism.

Read more: Leeds terrorist hospital worker ready to 'kill as many nurses as possible' with bomb found guilty

Jurors took just two hours to convict him of the remaining offence after being told the self-radicalised lone wolf terrorist had worked intending to "kill as many nurses as possible".

Sheffield Crown Court heard Farooq had immersed himself in an “extremist Islamic ideology” and went to the hospital to “seek his own martyrdom” through a “murderous terrorist attack”.

He was stopped by a patient, Nathan Newby, who was outside having a cigarette and managed to talk him down, jurors were told.

Prosecutors said Farooq had originally intended to attack RAF Menwith Hill – a North Yorkshire military base used by the United States that had been identified as a target by so-called Islamic State.

When he thought that was not possible, jurors were told Farooq then switched to the “softer and less well-protected target” of St James’ Hospital in the early hours of January 20 last year. It was said his plan was to detonate the viable pressure cooker bomb, then kill as many people as possible with knives before using an imitation firearm to incite police to shoot him dead.

Farooq was a clinical support worker at the hospital and his “secondary motive” for choosing it was that he had a grievance against several of his former colleagues and had been conducting a poison pen campaign against them, the court heard.

Farooq denied preparing terrorist acts, with defence counsel Gul Nawaz Hussain KC telling jurors Farooq was not an extremist but a “troubled man” who was motivated by “deep rooted anger and grievance” towards his colleagues.

Farooq will be sentenced at a later date. Following the verdict, Detective Superintendent Paul Greenwood, Head of Investigations for Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: “This trial clearly evidenced Farooq’s intent to act on his beliefs and carry out an attack. He’d researched and prepared for his actions, building an improvised explosive device and prioritising his targets.

“He was primarily motivated by a Daesh-inspired ideology, but also by his own, deep-seated grievances. It was these extreme, personal grievances which ultimately led him to St James’s in January last year. We are sincerely grateful for the actions of Nathan Newby that morning, whose bravery and willingness to calm Farooq prevented him from fully realising his plans. Had he not intervened the outcome could have been devastating.

“We’d also like to acknowledge the strength and resilience of staff at St James’s Hospital, who acted swiftly to the potential threat to ensure the safety of their patients and staff, while maintaining business as usual throughout the incident. The commitment of these people to protecting others forever changed the course of events that day. I hope they are immensely proud of their actions and are reassured by today’s verdict.”

Professor Phil Wood, Chief Executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals welcomed the verdict. He said: “This was an extremely difficult time for staff and patients, and I am immensely proud of the calm and professional way in which they responded on the day to keep everyone safe.

“I would like to thank the police for their support during the incident and throughout the investigation to get us to this point and I am extremely grateful to Nathan Newby for his courage and initiative that morning."

Bethan David, head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division, said: “Farooq is an extremely dangerous individual who amassed a significant amount of practical and theoretical information that enabled him to produce a viable explosive device.

“He then took that homemade explosive device to a hospital where he worked with the intention to cause serious harm. Examination of his electronic devices revealed a hatred towards his colleagues at work and those he considered non-believers. It is clear from his internet searches that he was also conducting extensive research of RAF Menwith Hill, with a view to launching a potential attack.

“The extremist views Farooq holds are a threat to our society, and I am pleased the jury found him guilty of his crimes.”

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