Today (12/6) Asad Bhatti of Holland Close, Redhill was handed an eight year jail sentence following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE).
The investigation began when it was reported to police that documents with suspicious titles about bomb making were slowing down a repair process being performed on his laptop. Although the witness did not know what the files were, he had some suspicions about the titles and decided that making a report was the right thing to do. This led to a thorough investigation being carried out and searches being made of his properties and electronics, which ultimately helped to secure Bhatti’s conviction.
The 47-year-old was found guilty at the Old Bailey on 17 March this year of two counts of possessing an article for the purpose of terrorism, contrary to Section 57 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and three counts of making or possessing an explosive substance under suspicious circumstances contrary to Section 4 of the Explosive Substance Act.
In 2020, business owner Glen called the police with concerns about files he’d found on a customer’s laptop.
That customer has now been jailed for eight years for terrorist offences. pic.twitter.com/Nl40zU7wms
— Counter Terrorism Policing (@TerrorismPolice) June 12, 2023
Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright, Head of CTPSE, said:
“This case is a perfect example of how important it is that the people within our communities, the people who know it best, are confident to report anything suspicious into us.
“Each year thousands of reports like this one, help police to tackle the terrorist threat.
“We take all reports seriously and will investigate to establish the right steps to take, you won’t be destroying lives, but you might be saving them.
“You are not expected to be an expert, but if you have any suspicions, please make a report. Your information could be the missing part of the puzzle we need – Action Counters Terrorism.”
Along with being found to have manuals Bhatti compiled and wrote about making explosives, shooting techniques and hand to hand combat. He had combat and explosive making manuals that had been published by others as well as on a USB stick.
Within a storage unit, officers found chemicals, chemistry equipment, electronic circuitry and even an improvised explosive device, which was dismantled and not deemed functional.
Custody photo of Asad Bhatti
DCS Wright continued:
“Thankfully, due to the vigilance of a member of the public, Bhatti’s actions were investigated, and he was stopped from causing harm. We will never fully know what the consequences could have been.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank anyone who either has or will come forward with information, whether this leads to an investigation on this scale or not, your report will help us to keep our communities safe.”
If you’ve seen or heard something that could potentially be related to terrorism, trust your instincts and report it at gov.uk/ACT. Your actions could save lives.
It only takes a moment to make a report online. In an emergency, always dial 999.
FOR MEDIA: Please see the attached media pack for this case here.