A terrorist planned a Christmas bombing with his girlfriend after he pledged allegiance on Facebook to an Islamic State commander looking for volunteers to carry out lone wolf attacks, his trial heard.

Munir Hassan Mohammed sent messages to the commander in Iraq or Syria and downloaded terrorist publications, as the couple plotted to make bombs and toxins together.

The 36-year-old from Sudan also researched how to make ricin while he worked 12-hour shifts at a major food manufacturer, his trial was told.

Mohammed and Rowaida El-Hassan are facing years in prison after being convicted of plotting "devastating" carnage over Christmas 2016 with an Islamic State-inspired bomb.

Mohammed enlisted the help of El-Hassan, a 33-year-old pharmacist, and drew on her chemical knowledge after seeking her out on a dating website called SingleMuslim.com.