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Militants Admit Plan to Bomb London Stock Exchange
A group of four Islamic militants, all British citizens, admitted involvement on Wednesday in a conspiracy inspired by Al Qaeda to place a bomb in the toilets of the London Stock Exchange, part of a plot that, prosecutors said, was foiled after undercover counterterrorism officers tailed them as they surveyed London tourist attractions.The case seemed part of Britains long-running battle against militants born or residing in Britain since the July 7 bombings in 2005 that killed 52 people on three London subway trains and a bus. The four were among a group of nine men who had been set to plead not guilty to terrorism charges but changed their pleas to guilty when they learned of the likely sentences, Britains Press Association news agency reported. The other five pleaded guilty to lesser charges. They are to be sentenced next week. Prosecutors alleged that the men, who were arrested in December 2010, had drawn up a list of potential targets including the home of the London mayor, Boris Johnson, two rabbis, the American Embassy and the Stock Exchange. In November 2010, two of the men, Mohammed Chowdhury, 21, and Shah Rahman, 28, both of Bangladeshi descent and from London, were followed by plainclothes counterterrorism operatives as they observed locations around Parliament, including the Big Ben clock tower, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye Ferris wheel, the prosecution said. Posted by: tipper 2012-02-01 |
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