UK Islamists 'were ready to start bombing'
Staff and agencies
Tuesday March 21, 2006
Seven British Islamist terrorists had all the materials in place to start a major bombing campaign in the UK when their plot was intercepted, the Old Bailey heard today.
At the start of a trial expected to last months, the jury heard the alleged plotters had everything ready and needed only to decide on a target, or targets.
Opening the prosecution case, David Waters QC said the accused had played different roles in order to acquire bomb materials.
Around 600g of ammonium nitrate fertiliser, which could have been used to make bombs, had been found at a west London storage depot in 2004, he said.
Mr Waters said the material could have been used to attack "strategic" interests "or, more realistically, to kill and injure citizens of the UK".
But the prosecutor told the jury the gang had been intercepted "before the plot could reach fruition".
Mr Waters told the jury any attack was to have taken place in the UK, but a great deal of the plot had been hatched in Pakistan and Canada.
He said the jury would also hear evidence from the US from a Pakistan-born US citizen, Mohammed Babar, who has pleaded guilty in New York to various terrorism-related offences.
As someone who had contact with most of the defendants, Babar would be giving evidence to the Old Bailey, Mr Waters said.
"He has an insight as an insider into the events and plans, which an outsider could not have," said Mr Waters.
He said Babar had been given immunity from prosecution in relation to the charges the British defendants faced.
The accused British citizens are: Omar Khyam, 24; Waheed Mahmood, 34; his brother Shujah Mahmood, 19; and Jawad Akbar, 22, all from Crawley, West Sussex; Anthony Garcia (also known as Rahman Adam), 23, of Ilford, east London; Nabeel Hussain, 20, of Horley, Surrey; and Salahuddin Amin, 31, from Luton, Bedfordshire.
They all deny conspiring between January 1 2003 and March 31 2004 with the Canadian Mohammed Momin Khawaja and with other unknown persons to "cause by explosive substances an explosion or explosions of a nature likely to endanger life".
Mr Khyam, Mr Garcia and Mr Hussain also deny a charge under the Terrorism Act 2000 of possession of an article for terrorism (the fertiliser) between November 5 2003 and March 31 2004.
Mr Khyam and the Mahmood brothers also deny possessing aluminium powder for the use of terrorism between October 1 2003 and March 31 2004.
The jury heard Babar had travelled to England in November 2002 to raise money to assist jihad, or holy war, in Afghanistan, and met Mr Khyam.
Mr Waters said: "Khyam indicated that he and the brothers were working for a man called Abdul Hadi. In due course, when he met Amin some time later, he was to learn from him that he, Amin, also worked for Abdul Hadi. Hadi was said by Khyam to be number three in al-Qaida."
The jury heard that at another time, Waheed Mahmood had told Babar he was a "supporter of al-Qaida".
The jury heard that Babar had been living in Pakistan when he met some of the accused in February 2003.
Mr Waters described a conversation he said Babar had had at this time with Waheed Mahmood after first meeting him in Pakistan at the end of 2001.
The prosecutor said: "It may be of significance because Waheed said he couldn't understand why people were coming all the way to Pakistan or Afghanistan to fight when they should be fighting Jihad in the UK and conducting operations there."
The trial continues.
guardian.co.uk
Staff and agencies
Tuesday March 21, 2006
Seven British Islamist terrorists had all the materials in place to start a major bombing campaign in the UK when their plot was intercepted, the Old Bailey heard today.
At the start of a trial expected to last months, the jury heard the alleged plotters had everything ready and needed only to decide on a target, or targets.
Opening the prosecution case, David Waters QC said the accused had played different roles in order to acquire bomb materials.
Around 600g of ammonium nitrate fertiliser, which could have been used to make bombs, had been found at a west London storage depot in 2004, he said.
Mr Waters said the material could have been used to attack "strategic" interests "or, more realistically, to kill and injure citizens of the UK".
But the prosecutor told the jury the gang had been intercepted "before the plot could reach fruition".
Mr Waters told the jury any attack was to have taken place in the UK, but a great deal of the plot had been hatched in Pakistan and Canada.
He said the jury would also hear evidence from the US from a Pakistan-born US citizen, Mohammed Babar, who has pleaded guilty in New York to various terrorism-related offences.
As someone who had contact with most of the defendants, Babar would be giving evidence to the Old Bailey, Mr Waters said.
"He has an insight as an insider into the events and plans, which an outsider could not have," said Mr Waters.
He said Babar had been given immunity from prosecution in relation to the charges the British defendants faced.
The accused British citizens are: Omar Khyam, 24; Waheed Mahmood, 34; his brother Shujah Mahmood, 19; and Jawad Akbar, 22, all from Crawley, West Sussex; Anthony Garcia (also known as Rahman Adam), 23, of Ilford, east London; Nabeel Hussain, 20, of Horley, Surrey; and Salahuddin Amin, 31, from Luton, Bedfordshire.
They all deny conspiring between January 1 2003 and March 31 2004 with the Canadian Mohammed Momin Khawaja and with other unknown persons to "cause by explosive substances an explosion or explosions of a nature likely to endanger life".
Mr Khyam, Mr Garcia and Mr Hussain also deny a charge under the Terrorism Act 2000 of possession of an article for terrorism (the fertiliser) between November 5 2003 and March 31 2004.
Mr Khyam and the Mahmood brothers also deny possessing aluminium powder for the use of terrorism between October 1 2003 and March 31 2004.
The jury heard Babar had travelled to England in November 2002 to raise money to assist jihad, or holy war, in Afghanistan, and met Mr Khyam.
Mr Waters said: "Khyam indicated that he and the brothers were working for a man called Abdul Hadi. In due course, when he met Amin some time later, he was to learn from him that he, Amin, also worked for Abdul Hadi. Hadi was said by Khyam to be number three in al-Qaida."
The jury heard that at another time, Waheed Mahmood had told Babar he was a "supporter of al-Qaida".
The jury heard that Babar had been living in Pakistan when he met some of the accused in February 2003.
Mr Waters described a conversation he said Babar had had at this time with Waheed Mahmood after first meeting him in Pakistan at the end of 2001.
The prosecutor said: "It may be of significance because Waheed said he couldn't understand why people were coming all the way to Pakistan or Afghanistan to fight when they should be fighting Jihad in the UK and conducting operations there."
The trial continues.
guardian.co.uk