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| Six would-be terrorists were 'not on radar' of security services | Six would-be terrorists were 'not on radar' of security services |
| (4 months later) | |
| The two cars that came to a stop in Dewsbury town centre just after 4pm were late. After pulling up outside the town hall for a few minutes they looped slowly around the West Yorkshire town before heading to a chip shop and stopping off at a mosque. Within a couple of hours the five men – two in an old silver Laguna, three in a gold Rover – were heading back along the M1 to Birmingham. Unnoticed. Unremarkable. | The two cars that came to a stop in Dewsbury town centre just after 4pm were late. After pulling up outside the town hall for a few minutes they looped slowly around the West Yorkshire town before heading to a chip shop and stopping off at a mosque. Within a couple of hours the five men – two in an old silver Laguna, three in a gold Rover – were heading back along the M1 to Birmingham. Unnoticed. Unremarkable. |
| But if the afternoon had unfolded as those inside the cars had planned, and had they arrived a few hours earlier, the consequences for Dewsbury and for community relations in towns and cities across England could have been devastating. | But if the afternoon had unfolded as those inside the cars had planned, and had they arrived a few hours earlier, the consequences for Dewsbury and for community relations in towns and cities across England could have been devastating. |
| The five – all from the West Midlands – had spent the previous two months researching and preparing for a terrorist attack on supporters of the far-right English Defence League, who had been massing in the town that day for a demonstration. | The five – all from the West Midlands – had spent the previous two months researching and preparing for a terrorist attack on supporters of the far-right English Defence League, who had been massing in the town that day for a demonstration. |
| The men – all in their 20s – had come armed with a homemade bomb packed with hundreds of nails and ball bearings, three partially constructed pipe bombs, two sawn-off shotguns and an array of knives, swords and a machete hidden in holdalls in the boot of the Laguna. Police say the arsenal, although "low tech" – the bomb was made from shop-bought fireworks – had the potential to maim and kill. However, by the time the would-be bombers arrived the demonstration had finished. The EDL had gone home. | The men – all in their 20s – had come armed with a homemade bomb packed with hundreds of nails and ball bearings, three partially constructed pipe bombs, two sawn-off shotguns and an array of knives, swords and a machete hidden in holdalls in the boot of the Laguna. Police say the arsenal, although "low tech" – the bomb was made from shop-bought fireworks – had the potential to maim and kill. However, by the time the would-be bombers arrived the demonstration had finished. The EDL had gone home. |
| On Tuesday the five men in the cars – Omar Khan, 28, Mohammed Saud, 22, Jewel Uddin, 27, Zohaib Ahmed, 22, and Anzal Hussain, 24 – pleaded guilty at Woolwich crown court to engaging in preparation for acts of terrorism. A sixth man, Mohammed Hasseen, 23, pleaded guilty to the same offence and possessing a document likely to be of use to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism. All the men are from the Birmingham area. | On Tuesday the five men in the cars – Omar Khan, 28, Mohammed Saud, 22, Jewel Uddin, 27, Zohaib Ahmed, 22, and Anzal Hussain, 24 – pleaded guilty at Woolwich crown court to engaging in preparation for acts of terrorism. A sixth man, Mohammed Hasseen, 23, pleaded guilty to the same offence and possessing a document likely to be of use to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism. All the men are from the Birmingham area. |
| Central to the case against them were 10 A4 printouts found in the Laguna of a document addressed to David Cameron and the Queen that set out in chilling terms their determination to take revenge on the "enemies of Allah" – the "English Drunkards League". | Central to the case against them were 10 A4 printouts found in the Laguna of a document addressed to David Cameron and the Queen that set out in chilling terms their determination to take revenge on the "enemies of Allah" – the "English Drunkards League". |
| "We have heard and seen you openly insulting the final Messenger of Allah … you should know that for every action there is a reaction. Today is a day of retaliation (especially) for your blasphemy of Allah and his Messenger Muhammad." | "We have heard and seen you openly insulting the final Messenger of Allah … you should know that for every action there is a reaction. Today is a day of retaliation (especially) for your blasphemy of Allah and his Messenger Muhammad." |
| The note went on: "We love death more than you love life … What we did today was a direct retaliation of your insulting of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) & also in retaliation of your crusade against Islam/Muslims on a global scale. It is of the greatest honour for us to do what we did." | The note went on: "We love death more than you love life … What we did today was a direct retaliation of your insulting of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) & also in retaliation of your crusade against Islam/Muslims on a global scale. It is of the greatest honour for us to do what we did." |
| The men did not answer questions during police interviews but detectives say they cannot rule out the possibility the gang had been planning a suicide attack. | The men did not answer questions during police interviews but detectives say they cannot rule out the possibility the gang had been planning a suicide attack. |
| The EDL demonstration in Dewsbury on 30 June last year had begun at 11.30am in bright sunshine. The far-right group, which has held scores of virulently anti-Islam rallies in towns and cities across the country, attracted between 450 and 700 supporters to the town that day and the demonstration had been due to last until 3-4pm. But police say that because one of the key speakers – the EDL leader Stephen Lennon – had pulled out, it had begun to peter out by 1.30pm. Half an hour later the last EDL supporters had left. | The EDL demonstration in Dewsbury on 30 June last year had begun at 11.30am in bright sunshine. The far-right group, which has held scores of virulently anti-Islam rallies in towns and cities across the country, attracted between 450 and 700 supporters to the town that day and the demonstration had been due to last until 3-4pm. But police say that because one of the key speakers – the EDL leader Stephen Lennon – had pulled out, it had begun to peter out by 1.30pm. Half an hour later the last EDL supporters had left. |
| But as the residents of Dewsbury breathed a collective sigh of relief that the day had passed off with only a handful of arrests, a hundred miles away in Birmingham Khan and his associates were just setting off on a journey they hoped would end in violence and chaos. | But as the residents of Dewsbury breathed a collective sigh of relief that the day had passed off with only a handful of arrests, a hundred miles away in Birmingham Khan and his associates were just setting off on a journey they hoped would end in violence and chaos. |
| Police do not know why they were late to leave and acknowledge that when they set off none of the five were on the counter-terrorist radar. | Police do not know why they were late to leave and acknowledge that when they set off none of the five were on the counter-terrorist radar. |
| That may well have remained the case had it not been for a South Yorkshire traffic officer who was patrolling the M1 near Sheffield later that evening – and a mistake by one of the gang when sorting out car insurance. | That may well have remained the case had it not been for a South Yorkshire traffic officer who was patrolling the M1 near Sheffield later that evening – and a mistake by one of the gang when sorting out car insurance. |
| The officer, who has 29 years' experience, spotted the Laguna driven by Khan as the group made its way back to Birmingham following its aborted attack. | The officer, who has 29 years' experience, spotted the Laguna driven by Khan as the group made its way back to Birmingham following its aborted attack. |
| As the car passed the Meadow Hall shopping centre he decided to carry out a "routine stop". The gang had purchased car insurance over the phone earlier that day but because the wrong registration number had been provided, the car flashed up as uninsured. | As the car passed the Meadow Hall shopping centre he decided to carry out a "routine stop". The gang had purchased car insurance over the phone earlier that day but because the wrong registration number had been provided, the car flashed up as uninsured. |
| It was this that led to the terrorist plot being uncovered. | It was this that led to the terrorist plot being uncovered. |
| The officer seized the car and took Khan and his passenger, Uddin, to Meadow Hall train station so they could get back to Birmingham. Meanwhile, the car was taken to a pound where it was locked up for the weekend. On Monday morning the staff at the depot began to process the vehicles seized over the weekend – and itemise the belongings. When they got to holdalls from the boot of the Laguna they discovered the arsenal of weapons. Within minutes the police were at the scene and on closer examination they discovered the IED and pipe bombs. By 6pm detectives realised the case centred on suspects from Birmingham and the West Midlands counter-terrorist unit took the lead. | The officer seized the car and took Khan and his passenger, Uddin, to Meadow Hall train station so they could get back to Birmingham. Meanwhile, the car was taken to a pound where it was locked up for the weekend. On Monday morning the staff at the depot began to process the vehicles seized over the weekend – and itemise the belongings. When they got to holdalls from the boot of the Laguna they discovered the arsenal of weapons. Within minutes the police were at the scene and on closer examination they discovered the IED and pipe bombs. By 6pm detectives realised the case centred on suspects from Birmingham and the West Midlands counter-terrorist unit took the lead. |
| Over the next 48 hours hundreds of officers from every branch of the "counter-terrorism network" – including MI5 – were engaged in a desperate manhunt. At first they were trying to identify the driver and passenger of the Laguna. But then in the small hours of Tuesday morning, as detectives pored over CCTV footage, they realised that there was a second car – the gold Rover – and three more men to find. | Over the next 48 hours hundreds of officers from every branch of the "counter-terrorism network" – including MI5 – were engaged in a desperate manhunt. At first they were trying to identify the driver and passenger of the Laguna. But then in the small hours of Tuesday morning, as detectives pored over CCTV footage, they realised that there was a second car – the gold Rover – and three more men to find. |
| From the control room in the sprawling West Midlands police HQ, officers first identified and located Khan and Uddin. Surveillance teams were deployed and Khan was picked up at 10am the next day with Hasseen. Uddin was arrested a few hours later. Over the next 24 hours the remaining three suspects were identified and arrested. | From the control room in the sprawling West Midlands police HQ, officers first identified and located Khan and Uddin. Surveillance teams were deployed and Khan was picked up at 10am the next day with Hasseen. Uddin was arrested a few hours later. Over the next 24 hours the remaining three suspects were identified and arrested. |
| Police have struggled to piece together in detail the movements of the men in the weeks and months leading up to the failed attack. Two of the men carried out a recce in Dewsbury in the weeks leading up to the attack and there was computer evidence they had researched other EDL demonstrations and the group's leader Lennon – although police said there was no suggestion he was the group's specific target. Police say they all attended the Darul Ihsaan (Place of Excellence) gym in Birmingham – with two of them working there. The cavernous two-storey building off Baker Street sits among terraced houses in the heart of Sparkhill and was used by some of the men convicted of a separate terrorist plot. It does not play music, bans women and offers halal body-building supplements. | Police have struggled to piece together in detail the movements of the men in the weeks and months leading up to the failed attack. Two of the men carried out a recce in Dewsbury in the weeks leading up to the attack and there was computer evidence they had researched other EDL demonstrations and the group's leader Lennon – although police said there was no suggestion he was the group's specific target. Police say they all attended the Darul Ihsaan (Place of Excellence) gym in Birmingham – with two of them working there. The cavernous two-storey building off Baker Street sits among terraced houses in the heart of Sparkhill and was used by some of the men convicted of a separate terrorist plot. It does not play music, bans women and offers halal body-building supplements. |
| Police say that although the group spent a lot of time there, there is no evidence to prove this was where they hatched their plan. They add that they are working well with the gym management to tackle extremism. | Police say that although the group spent a lot of time there, there is no evidence to prove this was where they hatched their plan. They add that they are working well with the gym management to tackle extremism. |
| One of the would-be bombers, Uddin, was under "low-level" surveillance by the security services because of a suspected connection to a separate plot to carry out an attack rivalling the 7 July 2005 bombings – although police insist there was not enough evidence against him to warrant his arrest. Another, Hussain, was the brother of one of those convicted in that plot. | One of the would-be bombers, Uddin, was under "low-level" surveillance by the security services because of a suspected connection to a separate plot to carry out an attack rivalling the 7 July 2005 bombings – although police insist there was not enough evidence against him to warrant his arrest. Another, Hussain, was the brother of one of those convicted in that plot. |
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