British Airways Worker Convicted of Terror Plot

A British Airways IT specialist has been convicted of plotting to blow up a plane, along with three additional counts of terrorist planning—including conspiring with Yemen-based radical Anwar al-Awlaki and passing him useful information. It took police nine months to crack encrypted messages on Rajib Karim’s home computer; investigators called them the most complex yet seen in British terror, the Guardian reports.

Born in Bangladesh, Karim and his brother had supported a banned radical group, the BBC notes. Karim, who studied at Manchester University, returned to England in 2006 and took a job at BA in 2007; police believe he was looking for a position where he could contribute to the terrorist cause. A message from Awlaki—whom Karim called "professor"—asked if it was “possible to get a package or person with a package on board a flight heading to the US,” noting that a US attack was “our highest priority.” Click for more on Rajib Karim. (More British Airways stories.)