Doctor guilty of London, Glasgow terror attacks
Junior doctor convicted over car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow in June 2007
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Tuesday, 16, Dec 2008 11:14
A junior NHS doctor has been convicted of terrorism offences over car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow in June 2007.
Jurors at Woolwich crown court found Bilal Abdullah, 29, guilty of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions.
His co-defendant Mohammed Asha, another doctor, was cleared of all charges.
On June 30th 2007 Abdullah and Kafeel Ahmed, who died a month later, were arrested after driving a burning Jeep into Glasgow airport's main terminal building.
Witnesses saw police wrestle a man to the ground after the Cherokee Jeep was driven into Terminal One's main entrance. They attempted to set fire to the vehicle and fought with police before being brought under control.
It followed two attempted car bombings in central London which failed to explode the day before. Abdullah had attempted to kill revellers in the West End through mobile phone-detonated devices.
He was today found guilty of planning the terrorist attacks in 2007.
But Jordanian neurologist Mr Asha was acquitted of the charges of conspiracy to murder and to cause explosions. Regular contact between him and Abdullah had led police to suspect his involvement, but it emerged he was unaware of his close friend's plans.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner John McDowall, head of the Metropolitan police's counter-terrorism command, said Abdullah and Ahmed would have achieved their goal of capturing global attention "had their murderous plans come to fruition".
"It was more luck than judgement that their repeated attempts to detonate the two car bombs by mobile phone failed," he said of the failed London bombings.
"Just a day later, knowing they had only a limited time before they were caught, they drove at speed at the doors of Glasgow Airport with the intention that their jeep would explode inside the departure hall with massive loss of life."
Mr McDowall paid tribute to the bomb disposal experts who dismantled the London bombs who prevented lives and provided investigators with "a treasure trove of evidence".
"We worked very closely with our colleagues from Strathclyde police and other regional forces, and it is this joint working and professionalism which has lead to today's conviction," he added.
During the trial Abdullah admitted he considered himself a terrorist under English law and said he was seeking revenge for western oppression of Muslims around the world.
The incident resulted in improvements to Glasgow airport's security proceedings. Passengers are no longer permitted to be dropped off outside its main entrance and the terminal building has been fitted with bomb-proof glass.