Terror suspect Andrew Ibrahim caught on CCTV in Mall Galleries Broadmead | Bristol News | This is Bristol

Terror suspect Andrew Ibrahim caught on CCTV in Mall Galleries Broadmead | Bristol News | This is Bristol

A security camera picture shows the moment a student accused of terror offences allegedly staked out a Bristol shopping centre.

The jury hearing the case of Westbury-on-Trym student Andrew Ibrahim was yesterday shown the images, caught by the CCTV cameras at the Mall Bristol shopping centre in Broadmead in April last year.



The 20-year-old, who changed his name by deed poll to Isa after converting to Islam, is accused of making a bomb and planning to explode it at the centre, formerly known as the Galleries.

A Winchester Crown Court jury has heard that Ibrahim had home-made explosives in the fridge at his home in Comb Paddock, Westbury-on-Trym, along with a "suicide vest", allegedly to wear when detonating them.

The Crown claims the moving footage and stills from CCTV cameras shows Ibrahim carrying out a reconnaissance mission at the centre on April 7, days before his arrest by armed police.

Ibrahim denies making an explosive substance with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to property.

He also denies preparation of terrorism acts, in that he researched the manufacture of explosives, bought materials to make them, made them and also bought materials to detonate them – as well as identifying a place to do so.

He has pleaded guilty to simply making an explosive substance.

The trial has already heard that when City of Bristol College chemistry student Ibrahim was arrested, a quantity of home-made high explosive, hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD), was found in a biscuit box in his fridge, along with an electrical circuit capable of detonating it.

Mark Ellison QC, prosecuting, told the jury on the first day of the trial that former Bristol Cathedral School pupil spent about an hour walking around the centre without entering any of the 100 shops located over three floors.

Mr Ellison said that as he walked, Ibrahim made a note on his mobile phone of the location of bins, lifts, escalators and exits, and described the food court as a "dense area".

He also made a note of the time it would take to exit the mall without running, Mr Ellison said.

The jury has also heard that Ibrahim shopped for ingredients for the explosive at Boots, Tesco and outdoor supplies store Oswald Bailey in Broadmead, as well as electronics shop Maplin in Gloucester Road.

He is also alleged to have spent hours trawling the internet for websites dedicated to Islamic extremists including Osama bin Laden and Abu Hamza, and Iraqi insurgents.

The court heard Ibrahim, a former drug user, became increasingly radicalised after converting to Islam.

He used the internet to find instructions on how to make explosives from household products, the court heard.

The trial was also told that he had described the UK as a "dirty toilet" and he believed the 9/11 attacks were a justifiable response to US and UK aggression towards Muslims. The case continues.