Men 'planned airliner explosions'

[Anth]

Men 'planned airliner explosions'


All eight men deny conspiring to murder others

Eight men planned to detonate bombs aboard flights from London across the Atlantic to create deaths on an almost unprecedented scale, a court has heard.

Homemade devices were to be smuggled on to passenger aircraft and detonated mid-flight, Woolwich Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Peter Wright QC said the victims of the suicide attacks would have been unwitting civilians.

The eight men all deny conspiring to murder others and endangering aircraft bound for the US and Canada in 2006.

Mr Wright said the men planned to inflict heavy casualties, "all in the name of Islam".

He told jurors: "These men were, we say, indifferent to the carnage that was likely to ensue.

"Some of the men you see in the dock are those who were prepared to sacrifice their own lives."

Mr Wright said two of the men were watched by police as they met in Walthamstow on 9 August, 2006.

"The disaster they contemplated was not long off," he said.

"They were prepared to board an aircraft with the necessary ingredients and equipment to construct and detonate a device that would bring about not only the loss of their own lives but also all of those who happened by chance to be taking the same journey."

Mr Wright said Mr Ali, Mr Sarwar and Mr Gulzar were the main men behind the plot.

"Unfortunately for these men, but to the considerable good fortune of those that were their intended targets of those devices, their activities had come to the attention of the police," he said

He said from what police had observed "it was realised that these men, together with others, were engaged in some sort of terrorist plot".

A computer memory stick recovered by police contained details of flight timetables, baggage information, security advice and other information about Heathrow airport, he said.

The jury heard the information focused on only one-way flights leaving Heathrow between August 2006 and August 2007.

Tightened security

The planes were destined to fly from London to cities across North America, including Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Washington, the court heard.

The defendants are Abdul Ahmed Ali, aka Ahmed Ali Khan, 27, of Walthamstow, Assad Sarwar, 24, of High Wycombe, Tanvir Hussain, 27, of no fixed address, and Mohammed Gulzar, 26, of Barking.

Also charged, are Ibrahim Savant, 27, of Walthamstow, Arafat Waheed Khan, 26, of Walthamstow, Waheed Zaman, 23, of Walthamstow and Umar Islam, aka Brian Young, 29, of High Wycombe.

After their arrests in August 2006, airport security was massively tightened in the UK, causing long delays at major airports.

The trial is expected to last eight months.

BBC News Link

[Woodmonkey]

The defendants are Abdul Ahmed Ali, aka Ahmed Ali Khan, 27, of Walthamstow, Assad Sarwar, 24, of High Wycombe, Tanvir Hussain, 27, of no fixed address, and Mohammed Gulzar, 26, of Barking.

Also charged, are Ibrahim Savant, 27, of Walthamstow, Arafat Waheed Khan, 26, of Walthamstow, Waheed Zaman, 23, of Walthamstow and Umar Islam, aka Brian Young, 29, of High Wycombe.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

[Anth]

Yep, not a white man's name in the lot of them. Makes a change though - none of them are from the Huddersfield/Leeds/Dewsbury/Wakefield area

[conlor]

And they all look like such nice young men.











Well, maybe one of them does.....



And they don't think we should 'profile'.

[Snowden]

Well, profiling is essential; but not all Arabs are Muslim, let alone terrorists. I do hope this lot never walks out free again... I don't care what their background, their ideology is obvious. Fanatics are scary individuals.