Nadeem Muhammad, 43, has been jailed for 18 years at Manchester Crown Court for possessing an explosive with intent to endanger life after a pipe bomb was found in his luggage

A would-be terrorist who attempted to carry a pipe bomb on to a flight at Manchester Airport has today been jailed for 18 years.

Nadeem Muhammad was jailed at Manchester Crown Court for possessing an explosive with intent to endanger life after a pipe bomb was found in his hand luggage.

Muhammad, 43, was attempting to board a Ryanair flight to Bergamo, Italy, on January 30 when security officers found the device, made from batteries, tape, a marker pen and pins.

When the object was swabbed there was no trace of explosive on the outside and officers did not believe it was a viable device.

It was only after further forensic examination weeks later that it was found to be dangerous and Muhammad was charged with a bomb plot.

CCTV shows Muhammad, wearing a dark parka coat and jeans, stroll between crowds of other passengers as he gets off a shuttle and walks through the airport's entrance.

Muhammad was found guilty of possessing explosives with intent to endanger life at Manchester Crown Court.

After sentencing, Judge Patrick Field QC criticised airport security for making a 'wholly erroneous and potentially dangerous' conclusion that the bomb was not viable after it was seized by officers.

Judge Field said: 'I cannot have been the only person alarmed by some of the evidence in this case and the lack of concern that was expressed that lead members of staff to reach a wholly erroneous and dangerous conclusion that that device was not a bomb and was not dangerous.

'As a result, one member of staff even put the device into her pocket and tested it in the shoe x-Ray machine.

'It occurred to me that by acting in that way she put herself, fellow members of staff and the public at risk.

'When the police became involved they too readily accepted an assurance the bomb was not dangerous and an early opportunity to arrest the defendant was missed.

'There was risk that he could have escaped justice all together. It was therefore as a result of good luck rather than good judgement that this matter came to a satisfactory conclusion.

'In these dangerous times there is no room for complacency and I express a hope that security at the airport is subject to a thorough review of the highest level.'

The judge told Muhammed: 'You carried an improvised explosive device, a pipe bomb concealed within the front compartment of your hand luggage to terminal three of Manchester airport.

'Had you not been intercepted at the airport by security you were undoubtably have carried that bomb onto a plane bound for Bergamo were it was to be detonated.

'It included a number of pins that were in no doubt to increase the harm caused by the explosion.

'If it had exploded it would have had the potential to hurt individuals and danger property very close at the time of explosion.

'If detonated in the confines of the cabin in a commercial airliner would have posed considerable danger and injuries to those close to the device and therefore this is a very serious and grave offence.'

The court had heard that airport staff swabbed the device, which was later found to contain nitroglycerin, but found no trace of explosive and terminal three security manager Deborah Jeffrey initially put it into her pocket.

The judge said the situation was 'compounded' by police who accepted the assurance that the device was not viable and missed an 'early opportunity' to arrest Muhammad - who was allowed to board a flight to Italy five days later and another back to the UK before he was arrested on February 12.

Earlier this month a jury reached a majority verdict of 10 to two on the charge following 15 hours and 45 minutes of deliberations.

During the trial it was revealed Muhammad was released shortly after being questioned by counter terrorism officers when the bomb was first found.

He was then allowed to board another flight to Bergamo, near Milan, five days later.

The court also heard Muhammad, who was born in Pakistan but had an Italian passport, was planning to detonate the bomb once on board the Boeing 737.

Muhammad from Bury, Greater Manchester, was questioned by officers from the counter terrorism unit but released.

He returned to the airport the following day to collect his mobile phone, which had been taken by police, and then again on February 5 when he boarded another flight to Italy.

It was only on February 8 when the device was examined by forensics officers that suspicions were raised and the bomb squad was called.

The explosive was then sent for examination by expert Lorna Philp, who found it was a 'crude but potentially viable improvised explosive device'.

The device contained double base smokeless propellant, normally found in firearms ammunition, which was made up of nitroglycerin and nitrocellulose.

CCTV captured Muhammad walking through the airport with the pipe bomb in his luggage

Italian police raided Muhammad's home and workplace on February 9 and took him to a police station.

But he was released again after a couple of hours and on February 12 boarded another flight back to the UK.

He was arrested when he arrived back at Manchester Airport.

Muhammad had told the trial he was surprised to see the bomb when it was found in his bag and it had nothing 'at all' to do with him.

He told the court: 'I had never seen it before.'

Following the sentencing, Sue Hemming, head of the special crime and counter terrorism division in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: 'Despite extensive investigation, Nadeem Muhammad's motive for attempting to take this device onto a plane remains unknown.

'However it is clear that the consequences, had he been successful, could have been disastrous.'

A Manchester Airport spokesman said: 'Security is our number one priority and we work closely with Government, the police and other agencies to provide passengers with a safe and secure environment.

'In this instance, our security team successfully detected a device hidden inside the lining of a suitcase. It was deemed to be a suspicious item and passed to police to investigate further.

'These actions prevented a potentially dangerous item being taken on board an aircraft and, ultimately, to a successful prosecution.'