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| Britain |
| Al-Qaeda wanted simultaneous attacks in UK |
| 2006-03-30 |
| A wave of simultaneous blasts in Britain was called for by a senior group figure, a court is told A SENIOR al-Qaeda figure told Islamist terrorists to unleash a wave of multiple, simultaneous bombings in Britain, the Old Bailey was told yesterday. One associate also allegedly suggested using a remote-controlled model aeroplane packed with explosives. Mohammed Babar, an American terrorist with links to al-Qaeda, is giving evidence against his alleged former accomplices. The seven men, all from southeast England, are charged with conspiring to attack a British target. Babar told the court that one defendant, Omar Khyam, 24, travelled with another man to a remote tribal area of Pakistan to meet Abu Munthir, who reported directly to al-Qaeda’s No 3. Babar said that Mr Khyam “wanted to discuss with him [Abu Munthir] what they were planning in the UK”. Babar alleged that the men said that Abu Munthir “wanted them to do multiple bombings . . . either simultaneously or one after the other on the same day”. Abu Munthir was said to have wanted to meet everyone who would be involved in the plot, asking in particular for another defendant, Anthony Garcia, 24, who had left Pakistan for Britain hours before the message came through. Momin Khawaja, a Canadian facing trial in his own country, acted as a mule for al-Qaeda, returning to Pakistan in October 2003, via Britain, and allegedly bringing supplies for the terror group from Mr Khyam. These included a medical kit, money and invisible-ink pens. They were for another defendant, Salahuddin Amin, 31, to give to Abu Munthir. Babar told the court that Mr Amin wanted to ask Mr Khawaja, a computer expert, “how to send a computer virus”. He added: “Momin Khawaja and his brother were working on a GPS-navigated model aeroplane which could be fitted with explosives.” David Waters, QC, for the prosecution, read out an e-mail in which Mr Khawaja said that he could obtain remote-controlled detonation devices, with a range of about 2km, for £4 each. Mr Khawaja also mentioned “Imran”, a London Underground worker allegedly asked by Mr Khyam to carry out a suicide mission. Babar said that he arranged a bribe for immigration services so that Mr Garcia, whose visa had expired, could leave Pakistan and return to Britain. He claimed that a senior al-Qaeda operative known as Q, who lived in Luton and also reported directly to Abdul Hadi, No 3 in the terrorist organisation, also visited Pakistan in August 2003. Babar successfully tested an explosive substance in his back garden in Lahore, allegedly on the instruction of Mr Khyam. They hid behind a wall while the device was detonated. Babar also said that he met Mr Amin, who gave him detonators to transport to Europe, and asked him for equipment allegedly used by some of the defendants at a terrorist training camp, allegedly to send over the border to al-Qaeda. Mr Amin, of Luton; Waheed Mahmood, 34, Mr Khyam, Shujah Mahmood, 18, and Jawad Akbar, 22, all from Crawley, West Sussex; Mr Garcia, from Ilford, East London; and Nabeel Hussain, 20, from Horley, Surrey, deny conspiring to cause an explosion likely to endanger life between October 2003 and March 2004. Mr Khyam, Mr Garcia and Mr Hussain deny possessing 600kg (1,320lb) of fertiliser for the purposes of terrorism. Mr Khyam and Shujah Mahmood deny possessing aluminium powder, also for the purposes of terrorism. The trial continues. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #4 I'm sure that Ken Livingston and George Galloway will tell us how the difficulty of sifting that "chaff" makes it permissable for us to ignore whatever kernels it actually may contain. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-03-30 17:46 |
| #3 Hmm, sorta like the principle behind chaff... |
| Posted by: Ptah 2006-03-30 11:54 |
| #2 That's why actionable intel is so hard to come by...the jihadis deliberately fill their websites and phone calls with these 'plans' to obscure which ones are being implemented. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-03-30 08:34 |
| #1 I'm awfully glad the British police caught these youths, but the plans mentioned in the article feel a bit like airy fairy daydreams rather than actionable plans in the hand of competent executors. Am I being overly optimistic in this case? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-03-30 07:25 |