Leeds terror accused leaked hospital bomb plan with patient – court

A man accused of trying to attack a hospital where he worked told a patient he was carrying a bomb and wanted revenge, a court heard.

Mohammed Farooq, 28, is accused of targeting St James’s Hospital in Leeds on January 20, 2023.

Mr Farooq denies preparing acts of terrorism but has pleaded guilty to firearms offenses and possession of an explosive substance with intent.

He also pleaded guilty to possessing a document that could be useful to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism.

On Friday, jurors at Sheffield Crown Court began hearing video evidence from patient Nathan Newby, who observed Mr Farooq looking “angry and distressed” and “looking down at a bag” at the entrance to the hospital’s Gledhow Wing.

Mr Newby told police he approached Mr Farooq “to see if he was OK”.

“He just said he was depressed and wanted to get them back,” the witness said.

Mr Newby said Mr Farooq appeared “agitated” and told him he had been “stabbed in the back” over a work-related course.

Earlier, the court heard that the accused had been a trainee nurse at the hospital but did not have the qualifications to become a nurse.

When the patient asked Mr Farooq what was in his bag, Mr Newby told police he replied it was “just a bomb”.

The defendant “seemed so relaxed, like he was just normal,” he added.

Mr Newby told police Mr Farooq’s plan was to “go to the canteen” and then “turn it on and get out”.

The patient said their conversation lasted for “a good few hours” and Mr Farooq told him he had a wife and two children.

“I just tried to take it all in and keep it calm,” he said.

Mr Newby told investigators that Farooq later asked him to call 999 because he had “changed his mind”.

Defense lawyer Gul Hussain KC told the court there was no evidence that a social media account referencing Islamic State that Mr Farooq had posted was linked to the Islamic State group.

There was also no evidence that his client had pledged allegiance to any terrorist organization, he added.