Man who sparked fears of terror attack sentenced

Armed police descended on the streets near Barclays Bank, after Mahmoud Mabad started shouting he was a terrorist

A mentally unwell man sparked fears of an imminent terrorist attack in a city centre, a court has heard.

Armed police swooped on Sunderland city centre last October after Mahmoud Mabad, 38, shouted he was a terrorist and began filming people on his phone and acting aggressively, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Days later, and while still experiencing a schizophrenic episode exacerbated by alcohol and cannabis use, he shouted abuse and threats at a police call handler and launched a tirade of racist abuse at a bus driver, prosecutors said.

Mabad, who has spent 11 months in HMP Durham awaiting sentencing, after admitting seven offences, was made the subject of a two-year community order.

Full-scale response

Staff at Barclays Bank, on Fawcett Street in Sunderland, raised concerns about Mabad at about 10:00 GMT on 4 October 2023, prosecutor Graham O'Sullivan said.

Mabad was standing outside "screaming he was a terrorist" and "shouting about Israel" - with a copy of the Quran laid on the ground next to a bottle, which it was feared might contain explosives, Mr O'Sullivan said.

Mabad was shouting at people as he filmed them on his phone, and became increasingly aggressive as they filmed him back, the court heard.

The concerns sparked a full-scale police response, with armed officers, fire and ambulance staff and a helicopter deployed.

People who saw Mabad were "shocked", and feared a major terrorist attack may be imminent, Mr O'Sullivan said.

Twelve days later, after being released on bail, he phoned police and told a call handler he would "rape" him, King Charles and his "kingdom", Mr O'Sullivan said.

Mabad, of Hume Street in Sunderland, ended the call by saying "boom" - which prompted fears he was planning a bombing, the court heard.

The police worker said the call was "horrible" and was amongst the worst abuse he had heard in the course of his work.

'Extremely worrying'

On 30 October, Mabad erupted in rage and shouted anti-Semitic slurs at a female bus driver after she told him to get off following a confrontation with other passengers, the court heard.

Mabad filmed his tirade and uploaded it on Instagram, which was then reported to police by someone who knew him, Mr O'Sullivan said.

The bus driver said she felt "frightened" during the ordeal and feared meeting him again, adding she had considered dying and cutting her hair to make herself less recognisable to him.

In mitigation the court heard Mabad was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, for which he was now taking medication.

Mabad admitted offences, including causing racially-aggravated alarm or distress, sending malicious communications and possession of cannabis.

Judge Andrew Walker said Mabad was "clearly mentally unwell" at the time.

Nonetheless, he had made the decision to drink alcohol and take drugs, and stop taking his medication, which "worsened" the illness, the judge added.

He said Mabad's behaviour had been "extremely worrying, and caused fear and distress to a number of people".

The judge said a community order would offer Mabad mental health support, and alcohol and drug treatment, which would better protect the public from any recurrence of previous events.