Muslim convert admits failed suicide bomb attack in Exeter
A Muslim convert today admitted launching a failed suicide bomb attack on a busy restaurant in Devon.
Nicky Reilly, 22, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to attacking the Giraffe restaurant in Exeter.
Reilly, who appeared under the name Mohammad Rashid Saeed-Alim, used the internet to research how to make bombs using caustic soda, paraffin and nails.
But when he attempted to assemble one of the soft drink bottle bombs in the toilet cubicle of the restaurant, it exploded in his hands.
Reilly, of King Street, Plymouth, was arrested when he staggered outside after suffering serious facial injuries in the blast on May 22.
He appeared in court via a video link wearing a smart blue shirt and tie, and pleaded guilty to two of four charges on the indictment – attempted murder and engaging in preparation for terrorism in that he researched targets and how to make bombs and prepared three of them in the restaurant.
Two charges under the Explosives Act were not put to him because prosecutor Stuart Baker told the court that they were alternatives to the more serious charges.