Eight men accused of aircraft suicide bomb plot
The eight men are accused of plotting to blow up planes bound for the US
Thursday, 03, Apr 2008 08:11
A group of eight men plotted to kill hundreds of people by blowing up planes bound for the US and Canada using homemade suicide bombs, a London court has heard.
Prosecutor Peter Wright said at Woolwich crown court today that the victims of the attacks would have been an "unwitting civilian population".
The eight accused all deny conspiring to murder innocent people and endanger aircraft heading for the US and Canada in 2006.
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.
Mr Wright told the jury that the men had planned on causing mass casualties, "all in the name of Islam".
"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," he said.
"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 added.
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 trial is expected to last for around eight months.