Pakistani Student Jailed for Seeking Bomb-Making Info on Social Media

A university student in Pakistan has been sentenced to over two years in prison for searching for bomb-making tutorials online, according to officials.

Hannan Abdullah, a student of Human Resource Studies at the University of Narowal in Punjab, was sentenced by an anti-terrorism court to two years and six months in prison and fined PKR 50,000. The ruling was handed down by ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill.

Authorities say Abdullah was arrested in 2022 by Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) after he allegedly used social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to connect with individuals linked to terrorist activities in Iraq.

Abdullah used the Instagram handle "Ibn-e-Abdullah Al-Pakistani" and exchanged messages with a user going by "Professional Cook 67". Discussions on how to make explosives using materials like ammonium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal was included in the conversation.

The case was brought to the attention of Pakistani authorities by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which provided chat logs and email records tied to Abdullah's social media accounts. The FIA claims Abdullah also searched for bomb-making materials on Amazon and watched YouTube videos on the topic.

Despite these findings, there was no evidence that Abdullah ever attempted to actually build explosives or that he was connected to any terrorist organization. In court, Abdullah said he was only curious and never intended to harm anyone.

The court acknowledged that there was no indication he tried to manufacture explosives or had formal ties to any extremist group. He had been out on bail since 2023 and was taken into custody after Monday’s verdict.