A mother of six was sentenced to two years in prison after admitting concealing “a mini encyclopaedia of weapons making” in the sleeve of her burkha.

Houria Chahed Chentouf, 41, from Longsight, Manchester, pleaded guilty to two offences of possessing documents likely to be useful for a terrorist.

But she walked free from Manchester Crown Court after serving her time on remand following her arrest.

The court heard the Moroccan accidentally dropped a pen drive containing terror-related documents while she was being interviewed by officers at Liverpool's John Lennon Airport on October 16 last year.

It had been tied to the inner sleeve of her burkha, but fell out as she reached down to scratch her leg, prosecutor Simon Denison told the court.

Chentouf was released but arrested the following day at a house she was renting in Reynell Road, Longsight, Manchester.

Weapons

She was charged under the Terrorism Act 2000 with possessing an article which gave rise to suspicions that “the possession was for a purpose connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism”.

The computer memory stick contained more than 7,000 files, including an explosives manual for the “Brothers of the Mujahadeen”.

It was described by police as “a mini encyclopedia of weapons making”.


"[Chentouf] developed an obsessive interest in Jihad and the more extreme forms of Islam"
Judge Michael Henshell

Another document contained information about the military use of electronics, the court heard.

Officers said the documents, some of which ran to 900 pages, would have been enough to fill two floors of the Marks & Spencer store in Manchester.

Martyrdom

Evidence was also uncovered from internet chatroom sites which indicated her support for those seeking martyrdom.

Judge Michael Henshell told the defendant she had “developed an obsessive interest in Jihad and the more extreme forms of Islam”.

“Offences of this sort must be sentenced to immediate custody to deter others from behaving as you have,” he said.

A “huge amount” of material was found on the pen drive but he told her there was “no evidence you intended to pass it on to anybody”.

“The Crown accept there was no intention of putting it into practical use,” he said.

The court heard that Chentouf suffers from a mental illness, triggered by the death of a family member, and has previously self- harmed.

Her behaviour may have been affected by this and her culpability was at the lower end of the scale for this offence, the judge added.

Chentouf, wearing a full burkha, did not react to the sentencing.