A MAN who vowed he would carry out a terrorist attack by ploughing a car into a group of white people and going on a knife rampage was spared jail yesterday.

Ruzykhan Sayadi, of Southfield Park, Bartlemas Close, Oxford, had denied one count of causing racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress.

During his trial, which was held at Oxford Crown Court between January 24 and 26 this year, the jury took seven hours and one minute to find Sayadi guilty by a majority verdict.

As he was sentenced, the court was told the 23-year old asylum seeker from Afghanistan had accrued a long-standing debt problem.

Sayadi had also grown ‘frustrated’ with the immigration service, which had been dealing with his claim for asylum over the course of a number of years.

On August 21 last year, the court heard, his anger reached boiling point when he went to a Citizens Advice Bureau in Oxford in a bid to seek advice on a ‘considerable debt’ he had accrued.

While there for his 2pm appointment he spoke with an advisor – named in court as Hasan Malik – but it was not long before Sayadi become enraged and made the threats.

In sentencing him, Judge Ian Pringle QC said: “You became more and more frustrated about the situation you were in, the lack of asylum status you had.

“You began to express to Mr Malik that you had been patient for a long time and started to talk about carrying out a violent attack.

“Maybe with a knife, maybe with a car that you would drive into a crowd, and concentrating on white people.

“Mr Malik said that you had sworn in a mosque that you would do that.”

The court heard that while specialist police were made aware of the apparent threats to commit a terrorist act, nothing had come of it and Sayadi was subsequently charged with the count of harassment.

In mitigation, Peter Du Feu said that his client remained frustrated by the asylum process but was committed to making a go of it in this country.

Mr Du Feu said: “He is in a pretty low state at the moment.

“He is really at a low point because of his determination to achieve asylum status in this country.”

Sentencing, Judge Pringle added: “You do need some assistance and some change if you are going to establish yourself as a lawful citizen of this country in due course.”

Sayadi was given a community order for 18 months to include a rehabilitation activity requirement for 20 days and participation in the Resolve programme.

He must also abide by a daily curfew at his home address between 7pm and 7am and pay a victim surcharge.