Man caught with IED bought on the dark web

A teenager has been convicted over the attempted online purchase of a car bomb with the “potential to cause serious damage and kill many people”. The 19-year-old had no links to terrorism or organised crime, but was described as a “significant risk to the community”. Gurtej Randhawa, from Wolverhampton, was arrested in May after he took delivery of a package he thought was a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device. Randhawa previously pleaded guilty to attempting to import explosives, and was found guilty on Tuesday (November 7) of maliciously possessing an explosive substance with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury at Birmingham Crown Court. He has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at the same court on January 12, 2018. After intelligence indicated he had attempted to purchase the explosive from the dark web, National Crime Agency (NCA) officers replaced the package with a dummy device and sent it to his address. Officers watched Randhawa testing the device and arrested him on suspicion of attempting to possess an explosive substance with intent to cause an explosion likely to endanger life. Two women – aged 45 and 18 – were also arrested at the same time but have since been released with no further action. Tim Gregory from the NCA’s Armed Operations Unit said: “The explosive device Randhawa sought to purchase online had the potential to cause serious damage and kill many people if he had been successful in using it. “He was not involved in an organised crime group or linked to terrorism, but is clearly an individual who poses a significant risk to the community. “Identifying people like Randhawa – who seek to access illegal firearms and weapons – is a priority for the NCA and we will not stop in our efforts to make sure they are arrested and held accountable for their actions”. “He was not involved in an organised crime group or linked to terrorism, but is clearly an individual who poses a significant risk to the community. “Identifying people like Randhawa – who seek to access illegal firearms and weapons – is a priority for the NCA and we will not stop in our efforts to make sure they are arrested and held accountable for their actions”.