British terrorist who tried to blow up Giraffe restaurant with homemade nail bomb dies in prison

A YOUNG British terrorist who tried to blow up a restaurant with a homemade nail bomb after he was groomed by extremists online has died in prison.

Nicky Reilly, 30, carried three glass bottles packed with explosives into the Giraffe restaurant in Exeter, Devon, in May 2008.

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He was the only person injured when he accidentally set off one of the devices in the toilets.

It is thought he was serving a jail term in Broadmoor and news of his death was confirmed by his family.

Speaking from her home in Plymouth, Devon, his mother Kim Reilly, 49, confirmed her son had died but did not reveal the circumstances.

Speaking from home today, she said: "I can confirm he has died but I don't want to comment or say anything about it.

"I am far too upset at the moment."

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Reilly, who has Asperger's Syndrome and became known as Mohammad Rashid Saeed-Alim after converting to Islam, was jailed for life and has been held ever since at Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital in Berkshire.

Broadmoor have been asked for a comment.

Nicky Reilly, a Muslim convert from Plymouth, pleaded guilty to launching the failed suicide attack.

The attack took place at 12:50 while the bomber was inside a locked cubicle in the restaurant toilets.

Witnesses in and around the restaurant report hearing a loud bang. Most dismissed it, thinking the sound had come from a nearby building site.

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Another witness reported that it "sounded more like gunshots than a bomb, like a lightbulb exploding".

Police were immediately called to the scene and the restaurant was evacuated.

Thousands were evacuated from the city centre.

After the restaurant was evacuated, police evacuated and cordoned off the immediate area in fear of another device.

In January 2009 Reilly was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of at least 18 years.