A "dangerous and calculated" former Burton factory worker who plotted a major Islamic State-style terrorist attack has been jailed for life at the Old Bailey.
Sudanese asylum seeker Munir Mohammed must serve a minimum prison term of 14 years. Police welcomed the sentence and said it reflected the "gravity" of Mohammed's crimes.
Mohammed, who was employed with Kerry Foods for six months in 2016, was planning to launch the attack with a home-made bomb or the poison ricin.
He was a food packer at the Mosley Street factory from May to November 2016. Police raided his Derby home in December 2016, and found two of the three ingredients needed for the attack.
Mohammed, of Leopold Street, Derby, was found guilty at the Old Bailey in London last month of preparing for an act of terrorism under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, alongside 32-year-old Rowaida El Hassan, from London.
El-Hassan was jailed for 12 years with five more years on extended licence.
Police believe the attack was days away and Derby was the most likely location to be the target. During the plot Mohammed contacted a man on Facebook who he believed was an Islamic State commander to say he was ready to volunteer for a job in the UK.
Mohammed had material from Facebook on his mobile phone on how to make a bomb.
The jury heard he had taken screen-shots from a Facebook post which were instructions on how to construct a bomb and detonate it remotely by a mobile phone.
Mohammed had two of the three components required to create a high explosive known as “Mother of Satan” – and believed he had the third.
He bought nail polish remover from Asda in Spondon in the mistaken belief it was a chemical component of the explosive. He was caught on CCTV shopping for it in the store.
Unknown to Kerry Foods, Mohammed had been working illegally at the company factory. By May 2016 he had obtained EU documents in another man's name and secured work at the food factory. He told the jury he cooked sauces for meals going to Tesco and Morrisons.
However, in a statement released at the time of the verdict, a spokesman for Kerry Foods said the business took "every possible measure to ensure the safety and integrity of products manufactured at our facilities."
The ingredients and consumer foods supplier stressed "there was no evidence presented in court that Mohammed attempted to contaminate any products made at our Burton plant or that any of our products were contaminated".
Following the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Paul Greenwood, who is the deputy head of investigations at Counter Terrorism Policing North East, which led the investigation, said: "Today’s sentencing reflects the severity of the offences for which Mohammed and El-Hassan have been convicted. These were dangerous, calculated individuals, intent on causing harm to innocent people within our communities.
"Our investigation never revealed the full detail of their plans or their target. Only they know what their true intentions really were. Nevertheless, they were clearly conspiring to commit an attack in the UK.
"Thankfully, Counter Terrorism Policing North East, working alongside Derbyshire Police and the East Midlands Special Operations Unit were able to intervene before their plans could be made a reality.
"It’s vital we continue to work with our partners and the public to act early on concerns about suspicious activity and behaviour. We’d urge anyone with information to please come forward. Doing so could save lives.
"Call police in confidence on 0800 789 321 or visit wwww.gov.uk/ACT. In an emergency, always dial 999."
Chief Superintendent Jim Allen, the police commander for Derby, said: "We’ll never know what Munir Mohammed’s target might have been. What we do know is that he had the intention to cause serious harm to a large number of people.
"The life sentence - with a minimum of 14 years - for him reflects the gravity of his actions. It also shows us that terrorism is not confined to our major metropolitan centres but can be found across the country.
"With that in mind, the public in Derby and Derbyshire should stay vigilant, report things they see that don’t add up in their local communities and allow the police and security services to assess, develop and if necessary act on the information provided."
