LONDON, 5 April 2008 — An eight-member gang of British Muslims, accused among other things of plotting to blow up passenger planes mid-air en route to destinations in the United States and Canada, compiled a target list of “limitless ambition” and recorded chilling martyrdom videos warning of a reign of terror attacks against Britons and Jews, in revenge for their actions as accomplices of America, a court in London heard yesterday.
Unfortunately, the trial once again catapulted the specter of so-called “Islamist terrorism” to the front pages of British newspapers and TV and radio bulletins. “Suicide Gang’s Terror War Without Limit” — the headline in last night’s London Evening Standard — was one of the more sober ones.
In the dock at Woolwich Crown Court are: Abdullah Ahmed Ali (also known as Ahmed Ali Khan), 27, of Walthamstow; Assad Sarwar, 24, of High Wycombe; Tanvir Hussain, 27, of Leyton; Mohammed Gulzar, 26, of Barking; Ibrahim Savant, 27, of Stoke Newington; Arafat Waheed Khan, 26, of Walthamstow; Waheed Zaman, 23, of Walthamstow; and Umar Islam (formerly Brian Young), 29, of Plaistow. All of the men are British born and bred.
The eight men were arrested in August 2006, allegedly almost when they were ready to strike. All pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to murder and conspiring to commit an act of violence likely to endanger the safety of an aircraft. The arrests precipitated one of the most stringent security alerts in recent history at British airports, especially Heathrow. This in turn led to the introduction of strict new rules relating to the carrying of liquids and gels in hand luggage. Some of the rules have been slightly relaxed only in recent months.
The men are accused of plotting to smuggle liquid explosives hidden in soft drink bottles such as Oasis, Lucozade, Coca-Cola, Fanta, carried in hand luggage, and detonating them on board the aircraft using power from disposable cameras. The martyrdom videos were allegedly filmed weeks before the plan to board at least seven planes bound for destinations in the US and Canada and detonating the home-made bombs over major metropolitan cities there.
The jury at Woolwich Crown Court were shown the martyrdom videos which made chilling viewing praising Osama Bin Laden and threatening terror attacks on British targets. The videos were found in the boot of a car at an address of one of the accused. Similarly, two memory sticks were found at Assad Sarwar’s house in High Wycombe, just north of London.
One memory stick, said Crown Prosecutor Peter Wright, revealed that the plotters were considering bombing targets within the UK, of which they had detailed photographs. The targets included London’s financial center, major airports, London’s electricity grid and oil refineries.
He added that the recordings “were significant” because they showed the men “contemplated losing their lives in some violent act,” which would be a “perceived act of martyrdom in the name of Islam. We suggest the tenor of these remarks leaves little room for any degree of ambiguity.”
In a video, allegedly featuring defendant Abdullah Ahmed Ali, who is believed to be the ringleader, is heard saying: “Get out of our lands, leave us alone. You have persisted in trying to humiliate us, kill us and destroy us and Sheikh Osama (Bin Laden) has warned you many times to leave our lands or you will be destroyed, and now the time has come for you to be destroyed. 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.”
Another of the videos, allegedly featuring defendant Umar Islam, contained even greater vitriol against Britons and Jews for being accomplices of America for their actions against Muslims. In the twisted logic of the would-be terrorist, he warned that all British citizens (Muslim and non-Muslim) were legitimate targets because they had paid taxes that funded the army.
“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. Martyrdom operations upon martyrdom operations will keep on raining on these kuffar (non-believers) until they release us and leave our lands. Most of you are too busy watching Home and Away and EastEnders, complaining about the World Cup and drinking alcohol, too busy to care. I know because I come from that,” he continued.
The court also heard how the alleged plotters stockpiled materials needed for their home-made liquid devices — including 18 liters of hydrogen peroxide, wires and syringes — which the prosecution claims they intended to smuggle on to aircraft disguised as 500ml soft drinks.
