Newcastle fresher made bombs in his halls bedroom

A Newcastle fresher has admitted making bombs in his room in halls last summer.

Vladimir Aust appeared by video link at Newcastle Crown Court and pleaded guilty to making explosives during his first year at uni.

The Russian student caused a bomb scare in June after police found he was making the bombs in the uni’s INTO building, a centre for international students.

He was caught with HMTD – a highly explosive unstable compound which has been linked to a number of suicide bombings, including the 7/7 attacks on London in 2005.

Pictures from Aust’s VK account – the Russian equivalent of Facebook

The Russian student was also charged with carrying two knives near the Russian Embassy in London but the prosecution dropped the case.

Aust was initially arrested under anti-terrorism provisions, but the court was told they no longer applied.

The bomb scare caused chaos in the city centre, resulting in road closures and the evacuation of uni buildings and a major bus station.

Police were present late into the night at the INTO Centre where bomb disposal officers used a robot to search the building.

He is currently being detained in HMP Pentonville and sentencing is due to take place next month.

A second unnamed Russian student has also been arrested over the incident and remains on bail pending further inquiries.