Four found guilty of terror charges

The Bradford University students were arrested after London schoolboy Mohammed Irfan Raja, 17, ran away from home in February last year.

He left a note for his parents saying he was going to fight abroad and they would meet again in heaven, the Old Bailey heard.

Raja had been communicating and exchanging material with the students on the internet and went to stay with them. But he returned home three days later after a tearful telephone call in which his parents begged him to come back.

Raja, now 18, of Ilford, east London, and students Aitzaz Zafar, 20, of Bishop Street, Rochdale, Lancashire; Usman Ahmed Malik, 21, of Laisteridge Lane, Bradford, West Yorkshire; and Akbar Butt, 20, of Southall, west London, faced charges under the Terrorism Act.

Raja was convicted of two charges under S57 of having articles for terrorism. Zafar was convicted of one charge, Malik of two charges and Butt of one charge.

The jury is considering a charge against a fourth Bradford student.

The court was told their computers, including those at the university, were searched and led to their arrests.

Police found material downloaded from various websites and chatroom conversations said to be intended to encourage terrorism or martyrdom.

They denied having extremist views and some said they were researching ideology and other matters.