A British student built a drone for the Islamic State (Isis) in his room using a 3D printer.
Mohamad Al Bared, 27, was found guilty of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts to benefit a proscribed terrorist organisation.
The PhD student was told by Birmingham Crown Court that he could face a life sentence.
Al Barad used a 3D printer at his home in Coventry to make the missile.
The PhD student copied the design of a “Tomahawk missile” and sent weekly updates to Isis, so they could be replicated.
The drone was capable of delivering a bomb for Isis terrorists and was designed to fly into crowds or buildings.
He was arrested after the police raided his home.
They found the drone and also material suggesting he supported the Isis.
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Al Barad was found guilty between January 2022 and January 2023, and will be sentenced at a later date.
He has denied being a supporter of Isis, telling jurors that he had made the drone for his own research purposes.
The 27-year-old had an engineering degree from Coventry University, a master’s degree at Warwick University and was studying for a PhD at Birmingham University.
He claimed to have been researching Isis to argue against its ideologies with others at a mosque.
He told jurors that he had made the drone for his own research purposes
West Midlands Police Counter-terrorism unit
However, prosecutors disputed this and said evidence from online chats showed that he supported Isis.
Judge Paul Farrer KC said: “The court is going to have to consider whether the appropriate sentence is one of life imprisonment.
“You have been convicted of an offence of the utmost gravity.
“A long prison sentence is the inevitable consequence of that, but the length and nature of that sentence is a matter for careful consideration.”
