text: Faris Al-Khori, 62, was found with a hoard of explosive ingredients and recipes for bombs in his flats . A former Syrian doctor has been jailed after police discovered a hoard of explosive ingredients and bomb-making instructions at his home. Faris Al-Khori had dozens of chemicals, poisonous materials, bolts and handwritten notes on how to make a bomb, a court heard. The equipment was found purely by chance in April last year after a fire at a block of flats in the Muirhouse area of Edinburgh. Firefighters, who were responding to a 999 call over a fire within a rubbish chute on the 11th floor, had forced entry to a flat registered to Al-Khori and found jars containing various powders. Castor beans, which can be used to make ricin, were also found. The building was evacuated while the police and army Explosive Ordnance Device (EOD) experts were called in to test the substances - some of which were years old. Al-Khori also had a small amount of a highly volatile explosive lead picrate which was so dangerous that the Forensic Explosives Laboratory refused to take delivery of it and it was destroyed. A search was carried out at a further block where the 62-year-old lived with his wife in Leith and a further haul of material was recovered. Both blocks of flats were evacuated and the areas around them sealed off. Al-Khori said the materials were used for cleaning and as fertiliser but in February he pleaded guilty to a breach of the 1883 Explosive Substances Act. Police seized bomb-making instructions and equipment including a bag containing an electrical circuit (pictured) from the properties . Two Coleman's Mustard jars were found being used to store a small amount of a highly volatile explosive, lead picrate . Sentencing him to three years and four months in prison, Judge Lady Wolffe said: 'You assembled large quantities without lawful purpose and some were stored in a high rise flat in a densely populated area. 'The number and nature of the explosive substances and the places you chose to store them lead me to conclude there is no alternative to a custodial sentence.' The court heard that much of the bomb-making equipment, which also included electrical circuits, had been ordered from online retailers. Defence QC Brian McConnachie said: 'What seems to be clear from the narrative and material is that it has been directly ordered from legitimate companies, mainly through Amazon. 'The material has always been delivered to domestic addresses and paid for by genuine credit cards registered to Mr al-Khori. 'It has always been done in the open and over a period of time. Many of the items have never been opened. Al-Khori pleaded guilty to a breach of the 1883 Explosive Substances Act after officers seized dozens of explosive ingredients . 'It is difficult to understand the hoarding of this material but it does appear that he is someone who has some kind of academic interest in the materials. 'It seems he has accumulated materials with some kind of peculiar interest in the subject without ever intending to do anything or make anything.' Detective Superintendent David Gordon, who led the investigation, said: 'This was a significant and complex inquiry for Police Scotland, to safely deal with these volatile items and seek to establish Al-Khori's motives for storing them. 'A thorough investigation by the Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit and Crown Office found no known links to terrorist offences and we believe Faris Al-Khori was acting independently. However, he showed utter disregard for the occupants of both buildings. 'Thanks to the swift actions of our partners in the Fire Service and armed forces, we were able to quickly assess the contents of the flats and make them safe by removing a number of items for forensic examination or controlled explosion. The items from the flats in Edinburgh were discovered by chance during a fire within the rubbish chute which was then evacuated whilst the items were recovered . 'I am also grateful to the City of Edinburgh Council for their work to re-house vulnerable residents whilst we carried out our searches. 'Public safety was at the forefront of our response to this incident and all agencies worked together to minimise any risk to the public. 'Al-Khori's activities went unnoticed for many years, demonstrating the importance of community vigilance in our efforts to keep Scotland safe. 'Counter terrorism is one of Police Scotland's highest priorities, and whilst Al-Khori has no such known links we will always treat all information received with the utmost importance where any risk to the public is identified.' Al-Khori, who was born in Damascus and raised in a Christian family, trained as a doctor in Iraq but has never practised medicine in Britain after arriving here in 1984. He was the full-time carer for his wife, who suffers from schizophrenia, and has had British citizenship since 1998. Police and army Explosive Ordnance Device (EOD) experts had to be called in to remove the explosive materials . Lindsey Miller, the Crown Office's Procurator Fiscal for Organised Crime and Counter-Terrorism, added: 'The conviction of Al-Khori is a good example of agencies working closely together to protect the public. 'Al-Khori possessed a significant number and volume of explosive substances across two properties in Edinburgh as well as recipes for explosives. 'We worked closely with Police Service of Scotland and other agencies to prepare the case to ensure that Al-Khori was brought to justice.' 'I want to reassure the people of Scotland that we take any such offences extremely seriously, and our specialist prosecutors will continue to treat them as an absolute priority.'
target: Faris Al-Khori, 62, was found with dozens of bomb-making ingredients .
  Police found chemicals, nails, ball bearings, toxic beans and instructions .
  Discovery made during a fire at his block of flats in Edinburgh last year .
  He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years and four months in jail .