GETTY The 43-year-old was stopped at Manchester airport en route to Milan

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Nadeem Muhammad was still allowed to catch a flight despite carrying a viable pipe bomb hidden inside a pen, Manchester Crown Court heard. The prosecution alleges the device was brought on board with the intention of detonating it “within the confines of the Boeing 737 aircraft”. The 43-year-old was stopped at Manchester airport en route to Milan in January while allegedly carrying the bomb, after airport scanners picked up the unusual device, the court was told. It was allegedly found in Mr Muhammad’s suitcase lining by x-ray machines while he was trying to board a Ryanair flight to Italy. Despite airport security reportedly finding a suspicious device, Mr Muhammad was released and allowed to catch a later flight on February 5. Jonathan Sandiford, prosecuting, said further analysis of the device found wires, batteries, tape, pins and a double base smokeless propellant normally found in firearms ammunition attached to a marker pen.

GETTY It was reportedly found by x-ray machines in his suitcase

If the wires protruding from each end were connected it would have made a complete circuit and exploded, the court heard. Mr Muhammad was allowed to return home to Bury after tests failed to recognise the device as explosive despite swabbing it, the court was told. Mr Sandiford said: "At that stage nobody had realised this was a real device and the defendant was allowed to go on his way." He added the defence was expected to argue he had no knowledge of the device.

GETTY It was later examined by a forensic expert Lorna Philp

Mr Muhammad was also quizzed by anti-terror police, who also failed to establish the severity of the device, the prosecution claimed. All officials at the airport deemed the device to be non-threatening, but it was later examined by a forensic expert Lorna Philp after concerns were raised, the court heard. The bomb squad was called in and a lab in Kent ran specialist tests that concluded it was a "unreliable, unpredictable but viable device”. Five days after he was initially stopped, Mr Muhammad boarded another flight to Italy and was arrested on his return to the UK 11 days later.

At that stage nobody had realised this was a real device Jonathan Sandiford

Mr Sandiford told the court: "It is a matter of common sense that the only reason he would have tried to get that device onto the aeroplane was that he intended to detonate it in the confines of the Boeing 737, endangering the lives of the passengers on board and causing damage to the aircraft itself. "The fact that it was badly designed or constructed and was unreliable does not change the central fact that it was intended to be used as an improvised explosive device. "The only reason anyone would try to smuggle that device through stringent security checks was because he had the desire and intention to cause injury and possible death."

GETTY Mr Muhammad was released and allowed to catch a later flight on February 5