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| Version 7 | Version 8 |
|---|---|
| Three men admit bomb plot charges | Three men admit bomb plot charges |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Three men accused of plotting to blow up transatlantic planes have admitted conspiring to cause explosions. | Three men accused of plotting to blow up transatlantic planes have admitted conspiring to cause explosions. |
| Abdulla Ahmed Ali, Assad Sarwar and Tanvir Hussain also admitted conspiring to cause a public nuisance by making videos threatening bombings. | Abdulla Ahmed Ali, Assad Sarwar and Tanvir Hussain also admitted conspiring to cause a public nuisance by making videos threatening bombings. |
| Two other defendants, Ibrahim Savant and Umar Islam, also pleaded guilty to the public nuisance charges. | Two other defendants, Ibrahim Savant and Umar Islam, also pleaded guilty to the public nuisance charges. |
| The Woolwich Crown Court jury has yet to rule on conspiracy to murder charges which the five and three others deny. | The Woolwich Crown Court jury has yet to rule on conspiracy to murder charges which the five and three others deny. |
| The men deny two charges, which have been amended, of conspiracy to murder between 1 January and 11 August 2006. | The men deny two charges, which have been amended, of conspiracy to murder between 1 January and 11 August 2006. |
| One specifies the attacks would have involved the detonation of improvised bombs on passenger aircraft. | One specifies the attacks would have involved the detonation of improvised bombs on passenger aircraft. |
| 'Immortality aim' | 'Immortality aim' |
| Prosecutors allege they planned to explode home-made bombs disguised as soft drinks on passenger jets flying from Heathrow to North American cities. | Prosecutors allege they planned to explode home-made bombs disguised as soft drinks on passenger jets flying from Heathrow to North American cities. |
| The men's arrests in August 2006 led to tight restrictions on carrying liquids on board aircraft. | The men's arrests in August 2006 led to tight restrictions on carrying liquids on board aircraft. |
| Mr Islam and Mr Savant admit making videos threatening bombings | |
| Peter Wright QC, summing up the prosecution case on Monday, told the court the eight men had wanted to "achieve immortality and notoriety in equal measure". | Peter Wright QC, summing up the prosecution case on Monday, told the court the eight men had wanted to "achieve immortality and notoriety in equal measure". |
| Each of the defendants wanted to "murder as many civilian passengers as possible upon as many civilian aircraft as possible", he said. | |
| They were all "prepared to kill and to do so on a wholly indiscriminate basis, irrespective of age, belief, sex and to do so without the slightest blink of an eye", he told the jury. | They were all "prepared to kill and to do so on a wholly indiscriminate basis, irrespective of age, belief, sex and to do so without the slightest blink of an eye", he told the jury. |
| Mr Ali - the alleged ringleader of the plot - and Mr Sarwar had earlier told the court they had planned only to make a video highlighting what they described as injustices against Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon. | |
| This was no propaganda video, no documentary, no exercise or stunt - this was for real Peter Wright QC | |
| Their protest over British foreign policy was to include a small explosion at the Houses of Parliament, in which no-one would be hurt, in order to publicise the video, they said. | Their protest over British foreign policy was to include a small explosion at the Houses of Parliament, in which no-one would be hurt, in order to publicise the video, they said. |
| The two men also considered other targets including gas terminals, oil refineries and airports, Mr Sarwar told the jury. | The two men also considered other targets including gas terminals, oil refineries and airports, Mr Sarwar told the jury. |
| But Mr Wright described the defendants' explanations as "inherently improbable", "hollow" and "bogus". | |
| "This was no propaganda video, no documentary, no exercise or stunt - this was for real," he said. | |
| "Human beings ready, able and willing to commit carnage for the sake of Islam." | |
| He said the men had been "almost ready to go" and had had enough hydrogen peroxide and other materials to make at least 20 bombs disguised as soft drinks when they were arrested by police. | |
| "It was intended to be an act of terrorism to not only alter aviation history but also to strike a blow on behalf of radicalised Islamists the world over," he added. | |
| The defendants are: Mr Ali, aka Ahmed Ali Khan, 27, of Walthamstow, London; Mr Sarwar, 24, of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire; Mr Hussain, 27, of no fixed address, and Mohammed Gulzar, 26, of Barking, London. | The defendants are: Mr Ali, aka Ahmed Ali Khan, 27, of Walthamstow, London; Mr Sarwar, 24, of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire; Mr Hussain, 27, of no fixed address, and Mohammed Gulzar, 26, of Barking, London. |
| Also charged, are Mr Savant, 27, of Walthamstow, Arafat Waheed Khan, 26, of Walthamstow, Waheed Zaman, 23, of Walthamstow and Mr Islam, aka Brian Young, 29, of High Wycombe. | Also charged, are Mr Savant, 27, of Walthamstow, Arafat Waheed Khan, 26, of Walthamstow, Waheed Zaman, 23, of Walthamstow and Mr Islam, aka Brian Young, 29, of High Wycombe. |
| The jury is expected to retire to consider the main conspiracy to murder charge next week. | The jury is expected to retire to consider the main conspiracy to murder charge next week. |