Britain convicts "sleeper" with Qaeda document trove

LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) A British court convicted a man on Thursday described by police as a ''sleeper'' preparing terrorist attacks, whose horde of al Qaeda computer material suggested striking nightclubs and airports.

Omar Altimimi, 37, from Bolton in northern England, was convicted in Manchester Crown Court of six charges of possessing material for the purpose of terrorism and two money laundering charges.

The head of the anti-terrorism unit for Greater Manchester police described Altimimi as ''a 'sleeper' remaining in the shadows waiting and preparing for action.'' ''We will never know exactly what Altimimi was preparing to do but it was clear he had support and links with terrorists across the world,'' Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Porter added.

''(He) used his wife and children in a bid to blend into the community appearing as an ordinary family. But behind closed doors he was downloading shocking videos of executions, bomb-making recipes and information on how to establish a terrorist cell,'' Porter said in a statement.

Greater Manchester Police said they found a trove of terrorist material on Altimimi's computer, much of it downloaded from a ''secret, password-protected al Qaeda Internet site''.

Among the documents were bomb-making plans and lists of potential targets such as nightclubs and airports, although there was no suggestion Altimimi was linked to failed attacks on a London nightclub and a Scottish airport last week.

He was arrested along with another man, Yusuf Abdullah, 30, who has since pleaded guilty to acquiring criminal property after more than 50,000 dollars were wired to his account from Yemen.

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