AN Islamic State fan plotted a "lone wolf" attack on the British army or police using a specially adapted drone, a court has heard.

Hisham Muhammad, 25, amassed a stash of weapons including axes, a tomahawk, a machete and bear-claws before his arrest last June, the Old Bailey was told.

The defendant, who moved to Britain in 2013, designed prototype components to enable a drone to drop a harmful device, jurors heard.

Bermudan Muhammad had allegedly identified Castle Armoury Barracks in Bury, Greater Manchester, as a possible target.

His landlord alerted police after finding "suspicious" items at the defendant's home including knives, a tub of wires and a soldering iron, the court heard.

When officers searched the property, they uncovered 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 building a drone to drop a device.

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

Prosecutor Anne Whyte QC said Muhammad shared the same extremist views as Islamic State.

By the summer of 2018, he had allegedly decided to commit a "lone wolf attack" in the United Kingdom.

Ms Whyte told jurors: "He had researched how small drones might be adapted to drop some sort of device designed to harm others.

"He had also obtained a variety of weapons and researched how to use knives to lethal effect. He had purchased blade sharpening implements and had used them.

"He had also researched military locations and police equipment. As you will hear, on 23 May 2018, his research included expressing false interest in joining the British army and in visiting Castle Armoury Barracks in Bury.

"By the time of his arrest, he was planning some sort of physical attack using knives and other weapons, possibly involving the armed forces or the police."

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

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

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

On May 21 last year, he allegedly searched online for suicide belts, machetes and Victoria railway 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 Castle Armoury Barracks where he 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 the UK and Manchester as part of his attack planning.

Meanwhile, he and his cousin Faisal Abu Ahmad were said to have duped unsuspecting members of the public into handing over money through a bogus online escort agency.

Money from the scam was used to buy axes, face masks and knife-sharpening stones, the court was told.

When he was interviewed by police, Muhammad denied planning an attack, saying he had a "gift from god for making things and liked to innovate".

He admitted researching UK armed police, terror attacks, military bases, cooker bombs and drones.

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 said: "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 of 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, Bury, denies engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism.

His cousin Faisal Abu Ahmad, 24, who lived at the same address, has pleaded not guilty to failing to alert authorities of the alleged attack plan.