A coroner has expressed concern over the care given in prison to a man serving a sentence for a botched terrorism attack who was found hanged in his cell.

Mohammed Saeed Alim, who was born Nicky Reilly, was jailed in 2009 after a bungled attempt to set off a homemade bomb in a Devon restaurant.

Saeed Alim, 30, a Muslim convert, was discovered dead at HMP Manchester in October 2016. Following a two-week hearing, a jury concluded it was “more likely than not” that he did not intend to end his life and “acted impulsively” as a result of Asperger syndrome and an emotionally unstable personality disorder.

Giving evidence at Heywood coroner’s court in Greater Manchester, his mother, Kim Reilly, said her son “did not fit into society”, was a target for bullying at school and self-harmed from a young age.

He continued to self-harm while being treated at the high-security psychiatric hospital Broadmoor between 2009 and 2014 before he was transferred to prison after he attacked ward staff in a row over a ban on communal Muslim prayers in July 2015.

The jury was told by consultant forensic psychiatrist Dinesh Maganty that Saeed Alim’s combination of Asperger’s and the personality disorder were “very challenging and unique” and he was at “chronic risk” of dying from self harm.

But Maganty said it would be difficult for him to understand the concept of death and he had “serious doubts” whether he had the capacity to form an intent to end his life.

On Friday, Joanne Kearsley, the senior coroner for Manchester North, said it was a “truly tragic case” and she could not imagine how difficult Mrs Reilly’s life had been from the moment she learned of her son’s actions at the Giraffe restaurant in Exeter in May 2008. She said the court had heard evidence that raised “significant concerns” and was likely to form part of a report to prevent future deaths.

Kearsley said she was not satisfied the prison service’s central management group for Saeed Alim had a clear plan and oversight of his needs and queried why he was not under a care programme approach (CPA) in which care coordinators are allocated to individual prisoners.

The coroner questioned whether a form of review should be considered for prisoners who have recognised lifelong mental health disorders where the risk of self-harm is chronic.

Saeed Alim, from Plymouth, carried out the attempted attack after downloading videos on bomb-making and martyrdom from YouTube and he received encouragement in an internet chatroom from two people with Arabic names.

He pleaded guilty to attempted murder and preparing an act of terrorism and was ordered to serve a minimum term of 18 years.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Our sympathies remain with the family and friends of Mr Saeed Alim. We will carefully consider the inquest findings to see what further lessons can be learned.”

In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international suicide helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.