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 08 September 2008 13:23 BST

Accused midair suicide bombers made 'martyrdom videos'

Friday, 04 Apr 2008 14:29
A number of the eight men accused made 'Islamic martyrdom videos'
A number of the eight men accused of plotting to blow up passenger aircraft during flights to the US from London made Islamic martyrdom videos, prosecutors have claimed.

Jurors at Woolwich crown court today heard how several of the men recorded videos which warn of "martyrdom operations" that would "rain down" on non-believers.

Prosecutor Peter Wright claimed that the gang were contemplating causing mass casualties in the name of Islam.

A computer memory stick was also allegedly discovered in connection with the men, which showed details of other potential terror targets including London's Canary Wharf and the London Electricity Grid.

The jury was today shown footage or read transcripts from videos made by six out of the eight accused men.

In one of the videos, allegedly made by defendant Umar Islam, a man is heard as saying: "We are doing this in order to gain the pleasure of our Lord, and Allah loves us to die and kill in his fires."

He describes plans for "revenge" against the actions of the US and its "accomplices such as the British and the Jews".

"This is a warning for the non-believers that if they do not leave our lands there are many more like us and many more like me until the law of Allah is established on this earth," he says on the recording.

"Martyrdom operations upon martyrdom operations will keep on raining on these kuffars [non-believers] until they release us and leave our lands."

The men are accused of plotting to explode liquid suicide bombs on planes bound for a number of major US cities from London.

After the men were arrested in August 2006 UK airport security was tightened dramatically, with a major clampdown on the amount of liquids passenger could take on to planes.

The eight men are all in their 20s and include, Abdulla Ahmed Ali, AKA Ahmed Ali Khan, 27, of Prospect Hill, Walthamstow, Assad Sarwar, 27, of Walton Drive, High Wycombe, Tanvir Hussain, 27, of Nottingham Road, Leyton.

Also accused, are Mohammed Gulzar, 26, of Priory Road, Barking, Ibrahim Savant, 27, of Denver Road, Stoke Newington, Arafat Waheed Khan, 26, of Farnan Avenue, Walthamstow, Waheed Zaman, 23, of Queen's Road, Walthamstow and Umar Islam, AKA Brian Young, 29, of Bushey Road, Plaistow.

The trial is expected to last for around eight months.End of story


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