An Islamic State fan plotted a "lone wolf" attack on the British army or police using a specially-adapted drone, knives, axes and Japanese "Ninja eggs", a court has heard.

Hisham Muhammad, 25, amassed an array of weapons at his three-bedroom rented terrace in Victoria Avenue, Whitefield, including a tomahawk, a machete and bear-claws, the Old Bailey was told.

Bury Times: An array of weapons found at Hisham Muhammad's homeAn array of weapons found at Hisham Muhammad's home

He had also set about making a prototype of a drone attachment using lollipop sticks to drop a projectile or "harmful" device on his target, it was claimed.

He had allegedly researched police and army bases, including Castle Armoury Barracks in Bury, which he visited before his arrest last June.

The Bermudan national, who moved to Britain in 2013, had allegedly helped fund his activities with money from a bogus online escort agency scam.

He was caught after his landlord spotted "suspicious" items at the defendant's home including knives, a tub of wires and a soldering iron, the court heard.

Bury Times: Inside Hisham Muhammad's homeInside Hisham Muhammad's home

Jurors were told his landlord had visited the property after Muhammad and his cousin Faisal Abu Ahmad, 24, had fallen behind with their rent.

In a search, police uncovered the stash of weapons as well as lollipop sticks attached to an electrical component with black tape and various wires, jurors heard.

Some of the components allegedly matched sketches and detailed notes for adapting a drone.

Muhammad's interest in the devices dated back to late 2017 or early 2018 when he had called next door to retrieve a small drone from his neighbour's back garden, jurors heard.

Officers also seized two painted eggs containing crushed chilli seeds and shards of glass which were described as Japanese "ninja eggs".

Prosecutor Anne Whyte QC said Muhammad had steeped himself in "barbarous" Islamic State propaganda as he planned a "lone wolf" attack in Britain.

An examination of Muhammad's tablet computer revealed an IS video entitled My Revenge had been watched eight times between May 21 and May 30 last year.

Ms Whyte said the video in French justified and encouraged "lone wolf attacks" in France and Europe, and included gruesome footage of executions.

The defendant had trawled the internet for postcodes in Westminster and central Manchester, knives, drones and British armed police, jurors heard.

On May 21 last year, he allegedly researched suicide belts, machetes and Victoria train station which had been part of the scene of the Manchester Arena terror attack a year before.

Two days later, Muhammad visited an army recruitment event in Bury town centre and the nearby Castle Armoury Barracks where expressed an interest in joining up, jurors were told.

It was claimed the defendant went on to Google "weak points of the human body for assault" as well as armed police in UK and Manchester.

In a police interview, Muhammad denied planning an attack, saying he had a "gift from god for making things and liked to innovate".

The court heard he had cast doubt that the Manchester Arena bombing and Westminster Bridge attack had happened and questioned whether video of Fusilier Lee Rigby's killing was real.

Ms Whyte told jurors: "We allege Hisham Muhammad intended to commit an act of terrorism - he plainly considered and researched the use of a drone to drop some sort of harmful device.

"That, we say, was always going to present technical challenges and he combined an anticipated use of a drone with plans to use knives or other bladed items in order to stab human targets.

"Whatever his final approach to an adapted drone, by the time of his arrest, he had plainly resolved to commit some sort of knife attack instead."

Muhammad of Victoria Avenue, Whitefield, denies engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism.

Abu Ahmad, of the same address, has pleaded not guilty to failing to alert authorities of the alleged attack plan.

Giving evidence, landlord Onkar Singh described the "surreal" experience of coming across what he thought could be a bomb in his rented house.

Bury Times: Hisham Muhammad's home in Victoria Avenue, WhitefieldHisham Muhammad's home in Victoria Avenue, Whitefield

He told how takeaway worker Muhammad had failed to pay the £600 rent on his property.

Mr Singh said his "heart sunk" when he visited him to discuss it and saw the condition of the house.

The witness said: "He agreed to move out but said he needed a few days to sort himself out."

Upstairs he found a "tub with wire sticking out" and a collection of knives on a windowsill, the court heard.

Mr Singh said: "I found it a bit unusual. It seemed a bit odd.

"Once I saw the knives I just wanted to get out the house."

He returned with a friend and his brother-in-law and took photographs of the suspicious items, including a printout of images of guns, he said.

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Mr Singh said his brother-in-law Daniel was "in shock" at what they had found and they went straight to the nearest police station in Bury.

Cross-examining, Bernard Richmond QC, for Muhammad, said there had been "no effort to hide" any of the objects.

He said: "There was no attempt to justify its existence or explain it away. It must have been a rather surreal experience."

Mr Singh, a car salesman, answered: "It was yeah."

Francis FitzGibbon QC, for Abu Ahmad pressed the witness on what he had made of the scene.

Mr Singh told jurors: "At the time I did not want to make any allegations of what was going on. I just did not think it looked right.

"Why is there a switch in a tub? It could be a bomb."

Builder Gavin Weston, who had accompanied Mr Singh on his second visit, told jurors there was a soldering iron, electrical cable, switches and bottles in one bedroom and knives in another.

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He said: "Onkar showed me what was in the cupboard. Because I had seen the bucket and there was a push switch on top of it on the floor, I put two and two together, sort of thing, and saw what I thought was a bomb."

Jurors were shown police body worn camera footage of the moment officers arrived and arrested Muhammad and Abu Ahmad.

Pc Paul Grange told jurors Muhammad appeared like a "rabbit caught in headlights" and "quite startled" when he opened the door with Abu Ahmad behind.

Bury Times: Faisal Abu Ahmad, 24, cousin of Hisham Muhammad, gets arrested at Muhammed's homeFaisal Abu Ahmad, 24, cousin of Hisham Muhammad, gets arrested at Muhammed's home

Pc Grange said he forced his way in and got out his Taser as they tried to close the door.

When he saw the electrical cables on the floor, Pc Grange said he thought it was "plausible" they could be explosives.

The trial continues