'British bomber was moulded by Pakistani extremists'

London, Oct 16 (IANS) Shadowy Pakistan-based extremists have been blamed for an attempted suicide bombing by a white British Muslim in the southern English city of Exeter.

Nicky Reilly, a 22-year-old man who has Asperger's Syndrome and a mental age of 10, is being tried in a London court in connection with a suicide bomb attack on a busy Exeter restaurant in May.

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Reilly, who suffered what his defence called "facial carnage" after the device went off early, pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of attempted murder.

British counter-terrorism officials told The Times newspaper that extremists had taken advantage of Reilly's low IQ to groom him after the convert allegedly encountered radicals in internet cafes.

The paper quoted security sources as saying these radicals encouraged Reilly to visit other websites and internet chat rooms where he encountered men based in Pakistan.

Reilly set up a page on YouTube under the name of Chechen233 where these men answered his questions about who his targets should be and directed him to bomb-making websites, The Times said.

Reilly's mother says he does not have the capability to make a bomb. He was arrested after the nail-filled bombs blew up in his face as he was trying to assemble them in the toilet of the restaurant.

The paper quoted officers as saying the failed attack was an echo of tactics employed by extremists in Iraq, where mentally or physically disabled people have been used to carry out attacks.