21/7 accused 'made frantic calls'

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The alleged 21 July bombers made frantic telephone calls to each other right up to the moment they detonated their devices, a court has heard.

The six defendants made hundreds of calls in the months leading up to the 2005 attempt to blow up parts of London's transport network.

The jury at Woolwich Crown Court saw a list of all the calls traced to the mobile phones of each of the men.

All six deny conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions.

Tracking devices

Prosecutor Max Hill listed a rapid succession of calls between several of the defendants on the evening of 20 July and into the early morning of 21 July 2005.

The majority involved Hussain Osman, Ramzi Mohammed and the alleged fifth bomber Manfo Asiedu, who "lost his nerve" and dumped his rucksack device, the court heard.

The prosecution told how shortly after they attempted to detonate their bombs, Mr Osman's calls were traced to the Shepherd's Bush area, and Mr Asiedu's to west London.

Mr Asiedu, the court heard, failed to detonate his rucksack bomb and dumped it in Little Wormwood Scrubs park in west London.

While Mr Osman is accused of trying to bomb a train in Shepherd's Bush.

The court was told Mr Omar switched Sim cards after the alleged attacks and the new one was soon traced to Birmingham, where the defendant allegedly fled dressed in a burka.

The court has already been shown CCTV footage of Mr Osman jumping on a 220 bus in west London and travelling to south London.

All six men accused in the plot - Hussein Osman, Ramzi Mohammed, Adel Yahya, Muktar Ibrahim, Manfo Asiedu and Yassin Omar - deny attempting to bomb London's transport network on 21 July 2005.

The trial continues.

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