Man who planned suicide bomb attack at restaurant is found dead in Strangeways prison

Getty Images Strangeways Prison

A would-be suicide bomber who planned to detonate home-made bombs containing caustic soda, kerosene and nails inside a busy family restaurant has been found dead at Strangeways prison .

Muslim convert Nicky Reilly, 30, injured only himself after he accidentally set off one of the devices in a toilet in the 2008 attack.

He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years in 2009 and described in court as the ‘least cunning person ever to have been charged with terrorism’.

Reilly, who changed his name to Mohamed Rashid Saeed-Alim, was found dead in custody at HMP Manchester on Wednesday, a Prison Service spokeswoman said.

Sources said he was discovered hanged.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed officers were called to the prison after reports of a death. A spokesman said: “There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a file is being prepared by police for the coroner.”

A Prison Service spokeswoman said: “HMP Manchester prisoner Mohamed Rashid Saeed-Alim died in custody on Wednesday, October 19. As with all deaths in custody there will be an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.”

Reilly, who suffered from Asperger’s syndrome and had learning difficulties, set out to target dozens of innocent customers at the Giraffe restaurant in Exeter in May 2008.

CCTV footage released by police showed him walking calmly through Exeter bus station towards a shopping mall the day before the bombing attempt.

He had intended to run out into the packed dining area holding three bottles, all filled with caustic soda, kerosene, and nails, to his stomach.

But he got stuck in the toilet as he prepared to strike and one bottle detonated before he could leave the cubicle.

The explosion sent dozens of restaurant customers fleeing in panic and Reilly staggered out suffering serious facial injuries, the court was told.

Reilly converted to Islam between 2002 and 2003 and changed his name in 2004 to Mohamed Rashid Saeed-Alim.

He was intent on becoming a martyr by killing himself and others and wrote in documents found at his home ‘that is my dream’. An inquest is expected to be opened and adjourned.