Airport woman convicted over terror

Samina Malik burst into tears in the dock at the Old Bailey as a jury found her guilty of possessing records likely to be used for terrorism by a majority of 10 to one.

Malik wrote poems entitled How To Behead and The Living Martyrs and stocked a "library" of documents useful to terrorists, the Old Bailey heard.

Malik, who worked airside at WH Smith, was an unlikely but committed Islamic extremist, a jury was told.

The court heard she wrote on the back of a receipt from the shop: "The desire within me increases every day to go for martyrdom."

On Thursday Malik was convicted of possessing records likely to be useful in terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2000. She was earlier cleared by a jury of a separate count of possessing an article for terrorism.

Jonathan Sharp, prosecuting, told a jury that Malik liked to be known as the "Lyrical Terrorist" or "a stranger awaiting martyrdom".

"She is a committed Islamic extremist, who supports terrorism and terrorists. She had a library of material that she had collected for terrorist purposes. That collection would be extremely useful for someone planning terrorist activity.

"She was an unlikely person to be an active supporter of terrorism," he said.

The court heard she visited a website linked to jailed cleric Abu Hamza and stored material about weapons at her family home.