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Terror suspects planned to use 'remote-controlled toy car' to carry bomb | Terror suspects planned to use 'remote-controlled toy car' to carry bomb |
(7 days later) | |
Terror plotters discussed sending a remote-controlled toy car carrying a homemade bomb under the gates of a Territorial Army centre, a court was told. | Terror plotters discussed sending a remote-controlled toy car carrying a homemade bomb under the gates of a Territorial Army centre, a court was told. |
Zahid Iqbal, 31, and Mohammed Sharfaraz Ahmed, 25, spoke about making an improvised explosive device (IED) based upon instructions in an al-Qaida manual entitled "make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom", Woolwich crown court was told. | Zahid Iqbal, 31, and Mohammed Sharfaraz Ahmed, 25, spoke about making an improvised explosive device (IED) based upon instructions in an al-Qaida manual entitled "make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom", Woolwich crown court was told. |
The court in south-east London was played covert recordings of the pair in which Iqbal suggests attaching the bomb to a remote-controlled toy car and sending it under the gate of a Territorial Army (TA) centre in Luton. | The court in south-east London was played covert recordings of the pair in which Iqbal suggests attaching the bomb to a remote-controlled toy car and sending it under the gate of a Territorial Army (TA) centre in Luton. |
Iqbal is recorded telling Ahmed: "I was looking and drove past like the TA centre, Marsh Road. At the bottom of their gate there's quite a big gap. If you had a little toy car it drives underneath one of their vehicles or something." | Iqbal is recorded telling Ahmed: "I was looking and drove past like the TA centre, Marsh Road. At the bottom of their gate there's quite a big gap. If you had a little toy car it drives underneath one of their vehicles or something." |
Iqbal, Ahmed, Umar Arshad, 24, and Syed Farhan Hussain, 21, all from Luton, admitted one count of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism between 1 January 2011 and 25 April 2012 at a hearing on 1 March. | Iqbal, Ahmed, Umar Arshad, 24, and Syed Farhan Hussain, 21, all from Luton, admitted one count of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism between 1 January 2011 and 25 April 2012 at a hearing on 1 March. |
Iqbal, of Bishopscote Road; Arshad, of Crawley Road; Hussain, of Cornel Close; and Ahmed, of Maidenhall Road, considered methods, materials and targets for attacks. | Iqbal, of Bishopscote Road; Arshad, of Crawley Road; Hussain, of Cornel Close; and Ahmed, of Maidenhall Road, considered methods, materials and targets for attacks. |
Opening the prosecution against the men, Max Hill QC said: "The defendants were subjects of an intelligence led joint operation by the Metropolitan police counter-terrorism command (SO15) and the British Security Service [MI5] into the facilitation of individuals from the UK to Pakistan for extremist purposes connected to al-Qaida." | Opening the prosecution against the men, Max Hill QC said: "The defendants were subjects of an intelligence led joint operation by the Metropolitan police counter-terrorism command (SO15) and the British Security Service [MI5] into the facilitation of individuals from the UK to Pakistan for extremist purposes connected to al-Qaida." |
Hill said the evidence showed that Iqbal had been acting as a facilitator for people who wanted to travel for "extremist purposes" and he had direct contact with a Pakistani operative who was given the pseudonym "Modern Sleeve". | Hill said the evidence showed that Iqbal had been acting as a facilitator for people who wanted to travel for "extremist purposes" and he had direct contact with a Pakistani operative who was given the pseudonym "Modern Sleeve". |
He said Ahmed was observed by surveillance on numerous occasions attending a gym for training and going on trips to mountainous regions with others. | He said Ahmed was observed by surveillance on numerous occasions attending a gym for training and going on trips to mountainous regions with others. |
Hill added that conversations picked up from covert surveillance revealed that he was carrying out the training with a view to being physically fit for "purposes connected with terrorism". | Hill added that conversations picked up from covert surveillance revealed that he was carrying out the training with a view to being physically fit for "purposes connected with terrorism". |
"He stated that Snowdon was a particular favourite location to train because within the UK it bears the most resemblance to the mountainous regions of Pakistan," he said. | "He stated that Snowdon was a particular favourite location to train because within the UK it bears the most resemblance to the mountainous regions of Pakistan," he said. |
"The surveillance in Snowdon shows on occasions Ahmed and others carrying out regimental walking, press-ups, running in formation and using logs and branches perhaps as mock firearms." | "The surveillance in Snowdon shows on occasions Ahmed and others carrying out regimental walking, press-ups, running in formation and using logs and branches perhaps as mock firearms." |
By spring 2011 Iqbal lost contact with Modern Sleeve in Pakistan, he said. As a result of this, and also inspired by information from a series of the banned al-Qaida online magazine Inspire, Iqbal and Ahmed began to focus on attack planning in the UK, Hill said. | By spring 2011 Iqbal lost contact with Modern Sleeve in Pakistan, he said. As a result of this, and also inspired by information from a series of the banned al-Qaida online magazine Inspire, Iqbal and Ahmed began to focus on attack planning in the UK, Hill said. |
"They discussed making an IED following instructions from an Inspire magazine which they planned to adapt," he said. | "They discussed making an IED following instructions from an Inspire magazine which they planned to adapt," he said. |
"They also identified a target for such an attack, namely a Territorial Army base in their locality, although they discussed targeting multiple sites at one time," he said. | "They also identified a target for such an attack, namely a Territorial Army base in their locality, although they discussed targeting multiple sites at one time," he said. |
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