Scotsman : Terror suspects' 'limitless ambition'

Terror suspects' 'limitless ambition'

By RHIANNON EDWARD | April 5, 2008

A GANG of British Islamic terrorists drew up a list of UK targets with "limitless" ambition, a court heard yesterday.

Canary Wharf, a gas pipeline, oil refineries and nuclear power stations may have been in their sights, a jury was told.

The eight men plotted to take liquid bombs disguised as drinks on board at least seven transatlantic jets, Woolwich Crown Court heard.

Six of them recorded chilling suicide videos attacking Western governments and warning further attacks were to come, the court was told.

One accused the British of being too busy watching TV soap operas to care about anything, adding: "As you kill, you will be killed."

Two of the men were bugged discussing whether they should take their wives and children on the suicide missions.

Prosecutor Peter Wright QC said one key figure obtained detailed information about other possible targets.

He said Assad Sarwar was too important to give up his life in the wave of mid-air suicide attacks.

Mr Wright said: "The horizon in respect of Mr Sarwar's terrorist ambition was, we say, limitless."

The court heard a second day of extraordinary allegations against the eight men accused of conspiring to murder and to endanger the safety of aircraft. All eight deny the charges.

The prosecution alleged that:

-- When government scientists tested one of the liquid bombs the blast was so powerful it destroyed recording equipment;

-- The gang bought a Walthamstow flat with cash and transformed it into a bomb factory and location for suicide videos;

-- The leader threatened that body parts will be "decorating streets" if the West did not stop meddling in Muslim affairs.

-- Police recorded one of the men claiming the plot would be ready in a "couple of weeks" in the summer of 2006;

The jury were played excerpts from suicide videos recorded by six of the defendants.

The men attacked UK and US foreign policy, included the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in provocative rhetoric.

Mr Wright said each video contained "similar chilling sentiments" with the men standing in front of a black Arabic flag.

In his video, Umar Islam, apparently talking of the British public, said: "Most of them are too busy watching Home And Away and EastEnders, complaining about the World Cup, drinking alcohol, to care about anything."

The jury also heard how the gang stockpiled materials for home-made liquid devices.

Bomb-making materials including 18 litres of hydrogen peroxide, wires, syringes, a thermometer and gloves were found at Sarwar's High Wycombe home, the court heard.

The police were given a shocking insight into the alleged plot after the the house was bugged in July and August 2006.

They heard Islam and Abdulla Ahmed Ali discuss a train bombing in which a participant wanted to take his child. Ali said: "That's why he wanted to take his kid on the train with him: shake them up."

Mr Wright said Islam said his wife may join the plot if it was a "significant operation". Ali was overheard considering taking his child but said his wife "would not agree to it".

The defendants are: Ali, 27, of Walthamstow; Sarwar, 27, of High Wycombe; Tanvir Hussain, 27, of Leyton, east London; Mohammed Gulzar, 26, of Barking; Ibrahim Savant, 27, Stoke Newington; Arafat Waheed Khan, 26, of Walthamstow; Waheed Zaman, 23, of Walthamstow; and Islam, aka Brian Young, 29, of Plaistow.

Murderous intent disguised by 'fieldcraft', claims prosecution

THE eight men planned to use "fieldcraft" to disguise their murderous intentions when they passed through airport security, the prosecution alleged at the trial.

Cryptic notes in Abdulla Ahmed Ali's diary referred to items the would-be suicide bombers would carry in their hand luggage to throw guards off the scent, the court was also told.

One entry read: "dirty mag to distract, condom". Prosecutor Peter Wright QC said this meant the terrorists would have a pornographic magazine and condoms in their bags to fool the security personnel.

He went on: "The individual concerned with checking the hand luggage of a passenger was either to be distracted or to conclude that the owner of it was unlikely to be a radicalised Islamist who was intent on a violent and deadly agenda.

"Similarly, the presence of condoms in the hand luggage is designed to suggest that the traveller has in mind a journey and a subsequent pursuit of pleasure rather than being a harbinger of death."

Mr Wright added: "We say that amounts to what in military terms one may describe as fieldcraft."

The court heard Ali also planned to carry at least two drink bottles on board in different colours.

The prosecution said he intended to drink from one unadulterated bottle to demonstrate to security they were harmless.

The jury was told that cryptic notes were also found in a diary at Assad Sarwar's High Wycombe home.

Among the notes was evidence of the use of anonymous internet e-mail accounts and codes to disguise telephone numbers.

Several of the defendants also applied for new passports shortly before they were arrested in August 2006, the court was told.

One of them, Ibrahim Savant, falsely claimed that he had lost his existing passport – which had a Saudi Arabian visa in it.

Mr Wright moved on to tell the court: "The Crown's case therefore is that the purpose of fraudulently obtaining a new passport was in order to enable Ibrahim Savant to present himself as a passenger on an aircraft with the appearance of being westernised or less conspicuous."

Jury hears chilling martyrdom messages allegedly left by accused

ABDULlA AHMED ALI

YOU show more care and concern for animals than you do for the Muslim ummah (the Islamic nation]…

Thanks to God I swear by Allah, I have the desire since the age of 15/16 to participate in jihad in the path of Allah.

I had the desire since then to punish the kuffar (non-believers] for the evil they are doing.

I had the desire since then for jannah (paradise] for the Koran. I want to go to my prophet and his companions.

Leave us alone. Stop meddling in our affairs and we will leave you alone.

Otherwise expect floods of martyr operations against you and we will take our revenge and anger, ripping amongst your people and scattering the people and your body parts and your people's body parts responsible for these wars and oppression decorating the streets.

IBRAHIM SAVANT

ALL Muslims take heed – remove yourself from the grasp of the kuffar (non-believer] before you are counted as one of them.

Do not be content with your council houses and businesses and western lifestyle…

All Muslims feel the need to dust your feet in the training camps of jihad where men are made.

Cease debate and enter the battlefields seeking paradise. Mujahideen, for years I've desired to meet you, to walk the paths you've walked, to sacrifice what you have sacrificed. Now Allah has honoured me with an invitation to his kingdom.

Obviously after this beautiful operation they will accuse us brothers of all sorts of things and most of the things they will accuse us of is killing for the sake of killing, hating freedom, hating the west, being fed up with our lives.

ARAFAT WAHEED KHAN

WE WILL rain upon you such a terror and destruction that you will never feel peace and security. There will be floods of martyrdom operations and bombs falling through your lands. There will be daily torment in this world and a greater torment awaiting in the hereafter. Now I'd like to address the bootlickers who stand shoulder to shoulder with Kuffar in condemning these beautiful operations and the Mujahedeen.

In particular, I'd like to address the scholars to whom Allah has given knowledge which they concealed and play with to please the Kuffar, to save themselves from their disapproval.

What a miserable deal. Pleasing the Kuffar all while just pleasing Allah. Fearing them instead of fearing Allah.

I would like to thank Allah for giving me this opportunity to bless me with this Shahada (martyrdom]. I ask Allah to forgive me for all my sins, to accept me as a martyr. I ask Allah to help the Mujahedeen everywhere in every way.

UMAR ISLAM

THIS is revenge for the actions of the USA in the Muslim lands and their accomplices such as the British and the Jews.

This is a warning to the non-believers that if they do not leave our lands there are many more like us and many more like me ready to strike until the law of Allah is established on this earth.

Know that without doubt your dead are in the hellfire whilst the Muslims who died due to your attacks will be in paradise …

You are just sitting there, you are still funding the Army, you have not put down your leader, you have not pressured them enough.

Most of them are too busy watching Home And Away and EastEnders, complaining about the World Cup, drinking your alcohol, to care about anything.

That is all you seem to care about – and I know because I have come from that.

WAHEED ZAMAN

I HAVE been educated to a high standard and, had it not been Allah had blessed me with this mission, I could have lived a life of ease; but instead chose to fight for the sake of Allah's Deen (his religion or way).

All of you so-called moderate Muslims, there's only one way to solve this crisis. The problems will not be solved by campaigning, big conferences, peaceful negotiations with the disbelievers.

The only solution to this current situation of the Muslims is by fighting Jihad for the sake of Allah until the enemy is fully subdued and expelled from our lands.

America and England have no cause for complaint for they are the ones who invaded and built bases in the land of the Muslims.

I have not been brainwashed.

I have been educated to a high standard. I am old enough to make my own decisions.

TANVIR HUSSAIN

PEOPLE keep on saying, you know, that we keep on targeting innocent civilians, yeah.

We're not targeting innocent civilians. We're targeting economic and military targets.

They're the battle grounds of today, so whoever steps in these trenches, they, yeah, you haven't got us to blame.

You've got to blame yourself and collateral damage is going to be inevitable and people are going to die besides, you know, it's work at a price.

You know, I wanted to do this myself. For many years, you know, I dreamt of doing this, but I didn't have no chance of doing this. I didn't have any means.

Thank God Allah has accepted my duas (prayers], and provided a means to do this. You know, I only wish I could do this again, you know come back and do this again, and just do it again and again until people come to their senses and realise, you know, don't mess with the Muslims.