A British terrorist cell with alleged links to al-Qaeda discussed killing and maiming revellers at a large central London nightclub, as well as targeting power facilities, a court was told on Wednesday.
One of the seven men also discussed trying to buy a radio-isotope or so-called ”dirty bomb” from the Russian mafia, but nothing appeared to have come from his enquiries, a jury at London’s Central Criminal Court heard.
Prosecutor David Waters said the group, which allegedly had help in its preparations in Pakistan and Canada, discussed potential targets at the home of one of the defendants, Jawad Akbar (22) on February 22 2004.
But the talks were overheard by the British security services and anti-terrorism police, who had bugged the house, he added.
”Jawad Akbar referred to attacks upon the utilities, gas, water or electrical supplies. Alternatively, a big nightclub in central London might be a target,” Waters said.
Waters said he was recorded as saying: ”I think the club thing you could do but the gas would be much harder.”
The plot involved detonating a bomb made with ammonium nitrate and aluminium powder and using encrypted radio transmissions, he added.
Group members are alleged to have trained in how to cause explosions at a camp in Pakistan and obtained 600kg of ammonium nitrate fertiliser for use in Britain.
Arrests were made on March 30 2004 when plans were moving towards a ”final phase”, Waters said.
Before that the defendant allegedly ”at the centre of operations”, Omar Khyam (24), was said to have discussed, both by e-mail and in person, making remote detonators with Canadian Mohammed Momin Khawaja
Khawaja is awaiting trial there in connection with the alleged plot after being arrested in Toronto a week after his return from meeting Khyam and his brother and co-defendant Shuja Mahmood.
The others — one of whom worked at a contractor to British utility National Grid Transco — were heard discussing bombs, praising the Madrid train bombings and raising the possibility of carrying out a ”little explosion” at a British shopping centre.
Waters said another, Salahuddin Amin (31), had made enquiries about acquiring a radio-isotope bomb after going to Pakistan in 2001, although his search was apparently fruitless.
Amin himself later told police he did not believe the offer of an atomic bomb could be genuine.
But the lawyer stressed that whether the possibility of acquiring and using a ”dirty bomb” was realistic or not, Amin had made a ”fundamental and a concrete and immensely important contribution” to the conspiracy.
The case continues. — Sapa-AFP