Student found with 'terrorism manual' Norman Idris Faridi facing jail after being turned down job at London 2012

An engineering graduate who applied to work at the Olympics is facing jail for a terror offence.

Norman Idris Faridi, 32, was turned down after applying to work at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, where footballing events were held.

He was later found to have a terrorist manual, 39 Ways to Serve and Proceed in Jihad on his external hard drive and in a deleted file.

A jury at the Old Bailey found him guilty today of possessing records likely to be useful to someone preparing or committing an act of terrorism.

A similar charge of having al Qaida's Inspire magazine was ordered to lie on file after the jury could not reach a verdict.

Faridi, of Pen-y-Wain, Cathays, Cardiff, was cleared of a third charge of having a guide to fighting techniques for a similar purpose.

The court heard of the Kenyan national's bid to work at the Olympics during a bail hearing last year.

The Glamorgan University aeronautics engineering graduate was remanded in custody until next week to allow for technicalities involved in deportation moves.

Faridi, whose student visa expired while he was in custody, faces jail but has already served the equivalent of 16 months on remand.

The court heard Faridi, who graduated in 2010, renewed his visa and stayed on in Britain with his wife.

He was working in a bakery when police raided his home and took away computer equipment in April, last year.

This followed him being questioned returning to the UK at Heathrow in December 2011 and his deleting a number of files when he got home.

He was arrested in July last year when 39,000 deleted files were examined.

Faridi had downloaded a video of extremist preacher Abu Hamza on to his mobile phone.

He told police he was born into a Muslim sect but was interested in converting to being a Sunni Muslim.

Mr Barker said: "The prosecution say he had an interest in terrorism and extremism."

Faridi told the court he had downloaded various material from the internet but had not had time to sort it out.

He said: "I completely disagree with this document.

"It is nothing to do with my beliefs."

PA