‘Terror gang plotted to blow up airliners’

Eight Islamist terrorists plotted to blow up several transatlantic airliners in mid-air using explosives disguised as soft drinks in what would have brought about a death toll of “almost unimaginable scale”, a court heard today.

The alleged suicide mission involved the suspects boarding seven Air Canada, United Airlines and American Airlines flights leaving London bound for the United States and Canada on a date to be arranged in late 2006.

Once on board, homemade bombs would explode on each aircraft, killing all the passengers and causing casualties on an “almost unprecedented” scale.

At the start of the trial amid high security at Woolwich Crown Court, South London, Peter Wright, QC, for the prosecution said the plot had been foiled when two of the suspects, Abdullah Ali and Assad Sarwar, were arrested on the night of August 9 and 10, 2006, as they were meeting in Walthamstow, East London.

Documents examined on Mr Ali’s memory stick, which was seized by police, showed details had been recorded of flights going to Montreal, Washington, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Toronto.

The court heard that the suspects wanted the flights to be blown up while they were in the air over the Atlantic, meaning none of the other aircraft could be saved after the first exploded.

“Once the mid-flight explosions began, the authorities would be unable to prevent the other flights reaching a similar fate.”

The court heard that an address book belonging to Mr Ali, 27, seized by police, contained details that showed the formula to be used in the explosives.

The prosecution alleges that the formula involved hydrogen peroxide being mixed with tang, a sugary drink, and then coloured so that it looked like a normal refreshment, like Lucozade or Oasis. It would be detonated by a battery attached to a power source, he added. The address book included scrawled references to Lucozade, Oasis and mouthwash, and what colour the mixture should look like. Among other notes, it also referred to the need to select date for the operation.

Mr Wright said that Mr Ali was asked about the address book when he was arrested, but replied that he “could not remember” why he had written the details down.

He added that the explosions allegedly planned by the men would have “devastating consequences” and would have been done “all in the name of Islam”.

“These men were, we say, indifferent to the carnage that was likely to ensue,” he said.

“Inevitably, such an event would also have fatal consequences for the various passengers and crew who happened, quite by chance, to be flying to North America on the day selected by them to commit their atrocity.

“These men and others were actively engaged in a deadly plan which, had they been successful, would have brought about a civilian toll from an act of terrorism on an almost unprecedented scale.”

Mr Ali, also known as Ahmed Ali Khan, 27, of Walthamstow, Mr Sarwar, 24, of High Wycombe, Tanvir Hussain, 27, of no fixed address, Mohammed Gulzar, 26, of Barking, Ibrahim Savant, 27, of Walthamstow, Arafat Waheed Khan, 26, of Walthamstow, Waheed Zaman, 23, of Walthamstow and Umar Islam, aka Brian Young, 29, of High Wycombe, all deny conspiring to murder others and endangering aircraft

The trial was adjourned for the day, and continues tomorrow at 10am.

David Byers, Woolwich Crown Court

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