Five Britons were found guilty of plotting to carry out al-Qaeda-inspired bomb attacks across Britain potentially killing hundreds at targets ranging from nightclubs to trains and a shopping centre. The gang planned to use 600kg of ammonium nitrate fertiliser to make explosives to be used in bombings in revenge for Britain's support of the United States in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, prosecutors said.Omar Khyam, Waheed Mahmood, Anthony Garcia, Jawad Akbar and Salahuddin Amin were convicted of conspiring with Canadian Mohammed Momin Khawaja to cause an explosion likely to endanger life. Garcia and Khyam were found guilty of possessing an article for terrorism - the fertiliser, and Khyam was also convicted of having aluminium powder - an ingredient in explosives. The men had denied all charges.
| "Lies, all lies. We wuz framed!" |
During the longest-ever terrorism related trial lasting more than a year, prosecutors said the men had only to decide on a target when they were arrested in 2004 before carrying out what would have been the first homegrown attack by Islamist militants. Police swooped on the suspects about 16 months before four British Islamists carried out suicide bombings on London's transport system in July 2005, killing 52 commuters.
The main prosecution witness in the case was Mohammed Babar, a Pakistan-born American who has admitted to terrorism-related offences in New York. He said he was the men's accomplice and had helped get materials to make the bombs. The prosecution said the men had discussed targets including London's biggest nightclub - the Ministry of Sound - gas, water and electricity supplies, synagogues, trains, planes, and a large shopping centre, Bluewater, to the east of the capital. Babar said some of the suspects had also suggested poisoning fast food takeaways and beer at soccer matches. "The only sensible conclusion is that al-Qaeda does sit behind it (the plot)," one senior British counter terrorism detective said.