An Iranian bomb hoaxer threatened to blow up a sixth-form college in north Yorkshire and kill "all white people", Teesside Crown Court heard on Wednesday (6 September).

Just two weeks after the Manchester terror attack, Abass Gravand told security guards at Middlesbrough College that he was carrying a bomb in his bag.

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The 35-year-old made racial threats and spoke about killing British soldiers during his rant, the Middlesbrough Gazette reported.

"The defendant threatened that he had a bomb in his bag, he was going to blow up the college," prosecutor Emma Atkinson said.

Security officer Timothy Hoe said Gravand carried a backpack and carrier bag into the college at around 5.20pm on 2 June.

He said Gravand man started shouting aggressively: "Do you want my bombs? Then he started shouting he wanted to blow up Middlesbrough College, he wanted to kill all the white people, kill soldiers," Hoe said. "He said he had something in his bag. I didn't want him getting his backpack off."

Hoe's colleague Peter Benson said Gravand held up his carrier bag and said it contained a bomb.

"He said he's going to blow us all up... said he'd been killing our soldiers," Benson said.

The security officers tackled Gravand to the ground "because he was an immediate threat" before police arrived and arrested him.

The incident took place just two weeks after a terrorist blew himself up at Manchester Arena after an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May, killing 22 people. The bombing happened just two months after a terrorist rammed his car into pedestrians in Westminster and stabbed a police officer outside the Houses of Parliament.

Gravand has denied using threatening and abusive language to cause fear or provocation of violence. The trial continues.