A man facing four years in jail for plotting to make bombs has been found not guilty by a court in Rotterdam.

Moroccan national Mohamed B, who is 27, had been in custody since he was arrested last October following a tip-off from the security service AIVD, but was removed from a high security prison at the end of August pending the verdict.

B’s trial centred on whether he is a terrorist with actual plans to travel to Syria or someone who lives a fantasy life and made up stories about being a jihadi, a millionaire and a major drugs dealer.

The court said B did not have any intention of really committing terrorist attacks and there was no evidence to suggest he was a member of a terrorist network. Both a psychiatrist and a psychologist told the court he lived in a fantasy world.

B is an illegal immigrant and will remain in a deportation unit while his status is reassessed, broadcaster Nos says. He plans to claim asylum because he fears ending up in jail in Morocco as a terrorist if deported, Nos reports.

The public prosecution department is to appeal against the not guilty verdict.