Police who raided the Birmingham home of a Syrian-born man found material for the making of bombs to be used in an al Qaida-style "jihad", a court heard yesterday.

Hussan Tabbakh, who had an MP3 player containing speeches from terrorist leaders and jihadi chanting songs, was "a long way down the road" in his preparation for terrorist acts before he was "caught in the act" preparing to make bombs, it was alleged at Birmingham Crown Court.

Tabbakh, 38, has denied a charge of Preparation of Terrorist Acts under the Terrorism Act of 2006.

Max Hill QC, prosecuting, said Tabbakh was stopped by police of[fb01]cers on December 18 last year near his home in Small Heath.

In the pocket of his jeans they found an MP3 whose contents were downloaded and found to contain speeches by the worldwide leader of al Qaida, Osama Bin Laden; the former leader of al Qaida in Iraq Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, who was killed in 2006, and by Sheikh Omar Abdual-Rahman, who is currently serving life imprisonment in the USA after being convicted of his involvement in the World Trade Centre bombings, said Mr Hill.

He said there were also music files which included aJi-hadi Nasheed which had a chorus "This is the meaning of terrorism" repeated again and again.

When Tabbakh's flat in Camelot Way was searched, police recovered a memory stick which had web links to computer sites showing terrorist attacks on coalition vehicle convoys in either Afghanistan or Iraq, it was claimed.

Mr Hill said there was also a computer tower in which were found many of the same items that were in the MP3 and memory stick.

He said in a cupboard in the hallway were three plastic bottles containing chemicals while handwritten notes were also discovered giving instructions about the contents of the bottles.

The instructions included the lines: 'I pray that Allah would keep you safe and grant you success in the work for the sake of Allah. I have put everything separately for safety and quick transport. Don't use the bottles in which I put the liquids because my [fb01]ngerprints are on them.'

"The Crown's case is that this defendant was caught in the process of a practical attempt to create improvised explosive devices or bombs in everyday language," said Mr Hill.

"Because he was caught in the act, it follows that the defendant had not completed his task. "He added: "So who, when and where the bombs were going to be used is not known. However, the Crown suggest that you can be sure, taking all of the materials found on the defendant or in his flat, that he was somewhere in mid-process of preparing for acts of terrorism."

He said that when quizzed by police, Tabbakh, who had attended the University of Allepo in Syria and had an academic qualification in Mathematical and Physical Sciences, accepted possession of all the items found but claimed that the liquid in the bottles was going to be used to make fireworks by way of a small business for the Islamic religious ceremony of Eid.

Mr Hill said the instructions found at the flat included a diagram of a tin with a detonator and sticky tape and that it was possible to compare the words with the items found which included fertilizer and pieces of silver foil as well as the chemicals.

He said a forensic explosives expert had concluded that they demonstrated "a practical attempt to manufacture explosives had been made." The trial continues...SUPL: