Pakistan trip a 'one-way ticket'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7361360.stm

Version 0 of 1.

One of the 7 July bombers was told that going to Pakistan to fight abroad was a "one-way ticket", a court has heard.

Mohammed Siddique Khan was advised by a "committed terrorist" known as Ausman in a conversation picked up by a listening device, jurors heard.

The February 2004 discussion involved Ausman and his brother as well as Khan, fellow 7/7 bomber Shezhad Tanweer and Waheed Ali, Kingston Crown Court heard.

Mr Ali, 24, of east London, and two others deny helping the 7 July bombers.

'Time finished'

During a 40-minute discussion, Ausman told Khan what kit would be needed and how to carry out scams in the UK to raise funds, the court heard.

A transcript of the conversation, which was recorded in Ausman's car in Crawley, West Sussex, on 21 February 2004, was read to the court.

Now this is a one-way ticket bro yeah... you understand and you agree with that, yeah 'Ausman'

In it, Ausman says: "There was a time when you just land and go in to Afghanistan as a tourist like, training camp, come out and come back, obviously you know that, that time is finished."

He adds that people travelling to and from Pakistan were under surveillance and risked drawing attention to themselves and others.

Ausman goes on to say: "They watch that, yeah, so when you come back and meet up with the brothers, yeah, you make the brothers here hotter as well.

"When you meet brothers, those involved in the financing, them hot but overall it is worse."

He tells Khan: "Now this is a one-way ticket bro yeah... you understand and you agree with that, yeah, and you're happy with that, yeah."

Baby due

The jury has been told that Khan travelled to Pakistan with Tanweer, planning to fight in Afghanistan but there was a change of plan which led to the 7 July attacks.

During the discussion, Ausman agrees to Khan's request for "an extension" because his wife was due to give birth on 25 May and he wanted to ensure the baby was all right.

Under cross-examination, a West Yorkshire counter-terrorism officer who transcribed the conversation denied mishearing a number of words and guessing at some of what was said because of poor quality sound.

Mr Ali, 24, of Tower Hamlets, east London, Sadeer Saleem, 27, and Mohammed Shakil, 31, both of Beeston, Leeds, are accused of conspiring with Khan, Tanweer, Jermain Lindsay and Hasib Hussain to cause explosions.

Khan, Tanweer, Lindsay and Hussain killed 52 people in suicide bombings on London's public transport network on 7 July 2005.

The trial was adjourned until Wednesday.