A French Algerian man living in Newquay has been jailed for possessing and disseminating "extremist materials" including videos relating to making a bomb.

44-year-old Lyes Outiren was sentenced today for to "possessing and disseminating material likely to be useful to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism" after an investigation by the South East Counter Terrorism Unit (SECTU).

Outiren pleaded guilty earlier this month after he was found in possession of information likely to be useful to a person preparing to commit an act of terrorism, and instructional videos relating to making a bomb.

The former baggage handler was caught with links to an electronic bomb-making manual and videos on his computer, and had emailed similar links to an al Qaida magazine.

But French-Algerian Lyes Outiren, 44, who also made online comments describing murdered serviceman Fusilier Lee Rigby as "that filth British soldier" could walk free in months after Kingston Crown Court heard that he has been on remand - including almost a year in Broadmoor - since his November 2013 arrest.

Judge Paul Dodgson said that there was no doubt as to the intentions of Outiren, who made remarks against Jews and Shia Muslims and blamed "western governments and intelligence services" for the Syria conflict in police interviews.

Judge Dodgson said: "There is no doubt that if someone had accessed these links the potential could have been extremely serious."

He added: "These links were not only manuals but videos that anyone with average intelligence could have followed and with a degree of competence built an explosive device.

"Your intention clearly was that someone should access the files you sent to Inspire."

The court heard "loner" Outiren, of Newquay, Cornwall, previously worked in London from 2007 to 2009 for a firm called Excess Baggage, where his job included inspecting luggage using x-ray machines.

Counter-terrorism police who checked his laptop found links to bomb-making videos and manuals from an online cloud which he emailed to himself. He had also emailed links to similar material to Inspire, al Qaida's online magazine.

They included viable instructions on making fertiliser bombs, the court heard.

But because Outiren has been on remand for 14 months, and was given credit for early guilty pleas to charges of possessing and disseminating terrorist material, he could be free in four months, the court heard. The French national will then be deported.

Among the discoveries made in Outiren's Yahoo email account were links to documents and videos lasting two hours in total, advising people how to make devices, including one called "a course on the destruction of the crusaders".

The material that he sent to email addresses linked to Inspire were examined by forensics experts and were found to be previously unknown material that could have been used successfully, the court heard. However, the website never published it.

On January 9 this year Outiren admitted at Kingston Crown Court two counts of possessing a document or record containing information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, in April and August 2012, the court heard.

Outiren also pleaded guilty to one count of disseminating a terrorist publication in May 2012 when he emailed Inspire.

Because of earlier concerns about his mental health and ability to stand trial, January 9 was considered the earliest he could enter a plea.

He had been originally arrested by Devon and Cornwall Police in early 2013 over threats he made on an online forum.

The case was dropped but he was rearrested by counter-terror officers after the discoveries on his laptop.

The court heard that he had left Algeria in 1989 and has since lived in several places, including the UK and United States.

Martin Rutherford, for Outiren, said: "It is right to say he presents as a 44-year-old loner. He is single and he has no dependants and what little we do know about his past tells us he has spent most of his adult life travelling the world, Europe and the US particularly.

"In that past there is no suggestion from anyone that he has ever been involved in any illegal activity elsewhere and there is nothing to suggest he has ever been a risk to anyone. Unquestionably he is an intelligent man and has had time and space to think.

"He would like it said he has strong and genuine views about the brutality being inflicted on the people of Syria - genuine views that much of this results from the politics of the West."

Det Insp Matt Potts from SECTU said: “I hope this sends out a strong message to anyone considering engaging in terrorist activity.

“Outiren possessed and disseminated extremist materials which could have been used for the purposes of terrorism.

“The sentence at court here today reflects this and the threat he posed through his actions.

“This was an investigation led by the South East Counter Terrorism Unit with the support of Devon and Cornwall Police, into material found on Outiren’s computer.”

“We hope this shows that we continue to work tirelessly to tackle the threat posed by terrorism across the region.”