Internet-Haganah | Regina _v

23 March 2006

Regina _v_ Jihad

31 March 2004
ARREST IN OTTAWA TIED TO EXPLOSIVES SEIZURE IN UK

10 April 2004
ARRESTS KEY WIN FOR NSA HACKERS

12 April 2004
ACCUSED TERRORIST HAD ACCESS TO SECRET FILES INCLUDING HOME ADDRESSES OF DIPLOMATS

15 May 2005
AL-QAEDA SAID TO FAVOUR CANADIAN RECRUITS

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canada.com - Tuesday, March 21, 2006:

Prepared text of Tuesday's portion of the Crown's opening statement in the trial of seven men alleged to have plotted to bomb London. The rest of the statement was to be delivered on Wednesday:

REGINA

_v_

OMAR KHYAM
ANTHONY GARCIA
NABEEL HUSSAIN
JAWAD AKBAR
WAHEED MAHMOOD
SHUJAH-UD-DIN MAHMOOD
SALAHUDDIN AMIN

OPENING NOTE

There are in your charge seven defendants. They all face an allegation that they conspired, or agreed, to cause an explosion or explosions - explosion or explosions which would be likely to endanger life or to cause serious injury to property. That is the allegation expressed in rather dry legal language. Put in rather more every day terms, the allegation is that they played their respective roles in a plan to acquire the ingredients necessary to manufacture a bomb or bombs which would be deployed at the very least to destroy strategic plant within the United Kingdom, or more realistically, to kill and injure citizens of the United Kingdom. As you will hear, they were intercepted before the plot could reach fruition, however again as will emerge, the interception came only when most of the necessary components were in place and all that remained. before their plans achieved their ultimate goal was for the target or targets to be finally agreed.

2. The seven defendants who the prosecution say were parties to that conspiracy no doubt had other co-conspirators. One indeed you will hear about in some detail. That person is a man named Momin Khawaja.

3. Momin Khawaja constitutes the Canadian end of the conspiracy. He awaits trial in Canada in relation to items found in him home in Ontario, and indeed in relation to his contact with the defendants you are concerned with and his vital role in this plot.

4. There are two further counts or charges which affect four of the defendants. I will return to these counts after I have outlined to you the events with which we are concerned. It suffices for the time being theat you know of their existence and know also that they arise out of the same facts as those which lie behind the central allegation to which I have referred.

5. Let me start by introducing the seven defendants to you. The first defendant, and perhaps appropriately so, is Omar Khyam. He is aged 24.

6. A photograph of Khyam at the time of his arrest, at the end of March 2004, is to be found at {JB 1, behind indictment, lettered A}. His family home is in Crawley.

Plans - page 1, 16 (photo)

7. Although that was the family home in the context of this case, this defendant, Omar Khyam lived for the most part at an address in Slough.

Plans page 1 and 3

8. In addition, in relation to Omar Khyam, there is a vehicle which was used by him during the period with which we are concerned and this vehicle was to be the subject of surveillance by the police and security services.

9. This vehicle was a Suzuki Vitara, registration number GV53 WHA and we shall see and hear quite a lot of it.

10. Omar Khyam has a younger brother who is also a defendant. He is Shujah-Ud-Din Mahmood. If we move down the indictment to defendant number 6 you will see his name. If he doesn't mind, we shall refer to him as Shujah Mahmood for brevity. His photograph at the time of his arrest is to be found at page [JB 1, behind indictment, lettered F].

11. He is not aged 18 and as one would expect, being the brother of Omar Khyam, his family home is the same - the address we looked at a moment or two ago. Before leaving that address, perhaps I should mention the fact that it has a garden shed - that fact was to be of significance as we shall learn in due course.

12. I have gone ahead to Shujah because as Omar Khyam's brother they can conveniently be coupled together. However I return to the order on the indictment. We come next to Anthony Garcia. You will see from looking at him in court and his photograph page [JB 1, behind indictment, lettered B] he has a rather more western appearance than his co-defendants.

13. He is aged 27 and as with some other defendants was known sometimes by different names - either Rahman Adam, Abdul Rahman or John Lewis or Rizvan on occasions. His home was in Ilford in Essex.

See plan - page 1, 33 (photo)

14. While you still have the plans to hand, we can note that another address was associated with Anthony Garcia. That is the address of his girlfriend at Turnstone Close, NW9 (page 1, 30).

15. Next we turn to Nabeel Hussain whose photograph is at JB One, behind indictment, lettered C. He is aged 20 and his family home was in Horley, a town as you might know which is close to Crawley. If we look at plans at pages one and 26 we find the Hussain home.

16. Hussain also had student accommodation in Uxbridge. He was a student at Brunel University [plan p. 36].

17. Next on the Indictment is Jawad Akbar aged 22, whose photograph is at JB One, behind indictment, lettered D, and as with Omar Khyam and with his brother Shujah Mahmood, Akbar's family home is in Crawley.

18. Although the Crawley address is the family home, Akbar lived during the period we are concerned with in Uxbridge.

See plan - page 1, 35

19. Next, Waheed Mahmood. He is aged 33, somewhat older than his co-defendants or most of them and his photo is to be found at JB 1, behind indictment, lettered E].

As one might expect, having regard to his age, Waheed Mahmood had been in employment for some time and the fact that from 19 January 2004 he worked for National grid Transco is of significance in this case. Transco, as you may be aware, owns and operates the high voltage electricity system in England and Wales, and the high pressure gas system in Britain.

Waheed Mahmood's home address again was in Crawley. If we go to plan at page 22 (photo) we can locate it at 90 Langley Drive.

20. Before we move to the last defendant, Salahuddin Amin and indeed, in his case, to an address in Luton, it may be as well to look at one or two maps in order to collect together the various addresses and defendants to whom I have already referred [pp.2, 12, 13].

21. The last defendant is Salahuddin Amin. He is aged 30. We can see a photograph of him at JB 1, behind indictment, Lettered G. His home address is, as I mentioned earlier, in Luton. See plan at pages 1 and 10.

22. As we will hear in due course he spent a considerable amount of time prior to February of last year in Pakistan. Indeed many of the defendants have spent time in Pakistan. Some of them have family connections with that country. Their principal purpose however in spending time in Pakistan was to acquire expertise in relation, particularly to explosives, an expertise which was to be deployed in the plan to cause explosions with which we are concerned.

23. …So if we bring the countries together, the explosion or explosions were to take place in this country. A great deal of preparation was undertaken in Pakistan and also in Canada through the work of Momin Khawaja to whom I referred a moment ago.

24. To those countries has to be added the U.S.A. This is because part of the evidence you will hear will come from a U.S. citizen. A U.S. citizen who has pleaded guilty in New York to various terrorist related offences. His name is Mohammed Babar. Two of those offences relate to what the Americans describe as the "British Bomb Plot" and have a direct bearing on the conspiracy with which we are concerned. In fact it might be helpful to look a charge number 3 by way of example {JB2, divider F, page 248}. In relation to this charge the allegation is headed "conspiracy to promote material support" and if we go to the final paragraph we will see the essence of the allegation. {Read}. It is of particular relevance to note in passing that part of the conspiracy to which he pleaded guilty related to the acquisition of ammonium nitrate and aluminium powder for bombs to be used in attacks on the UK.
25. I will start my introduction to the evidence which you will hear in this case by outlining what I anticipate that witness will be able to tell you about the conspiracy with which we are concerned.

26. I start with Babar primarily because as someone who had contact with most of the defendants, he has an insight as an insider into the events and plans which an outsider could not have. However, it is only right that I invite an element of caution to this witness’s evidence.

27. He falls into the general description of an accomplice ie, because of his involvement, he is open to the suggestion that by implication someone else, or exaggerating their role, he could avoid implicating himself or could minimise his own role.

28. Further he is open to the suggestion that he might feel that he will secure in due course a lighter sentence than would otherwise be the case, by giving evidence against others. Also you should know that he has been provided with immunity from prosecution in relation to the evidence he gives before you.

29. On the other hand he only needs such immunity because he is coming to give evidence - so he gains nothing there. Also, such immunity does not extend to committing perjury of course. Further, he has of course already pleaded guilty to the charges he faces and will be sentenced in due course but you will assess the witness and the evidence he gives and judge that evidence particularly by analysing whether it fits in with and is supported by other evidence from separate sources.

30. Babar was born in Pakistan but he went to the United States in 1977 as a child. He was educated in the US and attended university in New York. He visited Pakistan on occasions and then from 2001 to 2004 he went to live there.

31. He had since the first Gulf was held what he describes as a "Jihad’ view ie, Muslims should unite and join Jihad to fight anyone who is against Muslims or Islam.

32. He is fact left the United States a few days after the 9/11 attack upon the twin towers in 2001. He had been a member of Al Muhajiroun (or ALM) for some time.

33. Once in Pakistan he worked for that organisation and indeed helped to set up an office in Peshwar for ALM. He moved then to Lahore - to an address in Muslimtown in that city. Thereafter he had contact from time to time with most of the defendants with which we are concerned in this trial.

34. The majority of that contact was in Pakistan and it involved, for the most part, one continuing theme - that was the acquisition of training and expertise, particularly in relation to explosives. Connected to this them was the actual acquisition of items which might be used as explosive devices or necessary in order to make explosives devices.

35. Whereas to begin with the motivation of Babar and the defendants was directed towards the struggle in Afghanistan, as we move towards the period we are concerned with, the plans were directed towards targets within the UK.

36. Before I provide you with a little more detail of these events, I have to rather complicate matters by selling out the names by which the defendants were known to Babar. This is complication however which is not of my making, because as Babar will, I anticipate, tell you, to periodically change names in order to avoid identification is part of Jirad security.

37. Indeed such measures were not restricted to names. As Waheed Mahmood, the 5th defendant, emphasised to Babar mobile phones and laptop computers should be disposed of on a regular basis. Added refinements were that the 1st defendant Omar Khyam and Babar, when communicating by email, for example, would use codes - a simple but important example is that the code for detonators was "cigarettes."

38. Let me turn to the alternative names which the defendants used. Please do not worry if at this stage you do not absorb and remember all such names - you will hear them referred to repeatedly during the course of the evidence and by the end of the case they will be imbedded in your minds.

39. Omar Khyam used the name of Ausman in Pakistan. Anthony Garcia, the defendant you will recall who had the address in Ilford in Essex, used various names. John or John Lewis. Also Adam or Abdul Rahman. Indeed, it is by the name of Abdul Rahman that he was principally know to Babar.

40. Shujah Mahmood, Omar Khyam’s brother, was, you will be relieved to hear, known by the name Shujah.

41. Waheed Mahmood was likewise referred to as Waheed. He however used alternative identities - Abdul Waheed, Esmail, Javed or Jave. Fortunately, the witness Babar him principally as Waheed so perhaps while bearing in mind that he used various identities we can conveniently refer to him as Waheed.

42. Amin - the defendant from Luton used the name Khalid, so far as Babar was concerned.

43. The defendant Jawad Akbar used the name Hamza.

44. The Canadian conspirator, Momin Khawaja, who is to be tried in Canada, also features in the Pakistan side of events; he used the name in addition Yas or Yassir.

45. As I have indicated, the witness Babar will provide evidence for the most part as to the events and the defendants' activities in Pakistan. One of the defendants, Nabeel Hussain, did not cross Babar's path in Pakistan, no doubt for the very good reason that Hussain was not there.

46. The allegation against Hussain relates very much to his activities in late 2003 and early 2004 in the UK. We shall come to those matters in due course.

47. Babar had contact in Pakistan with Washeed (that is of course Waheed Mahmood the 5th defendant) as early as the end of 2001. In due course Waheed came to Babar's house in Lahore. Thereafter Babar was to learn from Waheed that he, Waheed, was a supporter of Al Qaeda. In the early stages however, both Babar and Waheed were cautious and circumspect. For example, when the suggestion was made by a man named Nadeem Ashraf (another member of the Crawley group) that they should attend a training camp, both Babar and Waheed were agreed that it would be crazy to do that and put their heads above the parapet so soon after 9/11.

48. In November 02, Babar travelled to England to raise money to assist the cause of the Jihad in Afghanistan.

49. In the course of this visit he met Omar Khyam the 1st defendant. For a while at least, where necessary, to defendants by both names by which they have to be known. So he met Omar Khyam who he knew as Ausman. He met also other members of "the Crawley lot" as he describes them. This included Anthony Garcia or Abdul Rahman as he knew him.

50. Khyam or Ausman indicated that he and the brothers were working for a man called Abdul Hadi. In due course when he met Amin or Khalid as he was known, the defendant from Luton some time later, he was to learn from him that he, amin, also worked for Abdul Hadi. Hadi said by Khyam/Ausman to be number 3 in Al Qaeda.

51. In due course in early 2003 Babar returned to Pakistan and lived in a flat called Eden Heights in Lahore [Photo JB2, divided A, pages 84 and 89].

52. Around February he went to see Waheed in Gujar Khan. [Plans folder, pages 48 and 49]

53. He found Garcia/Abdul Rahman there. In due course Amin/Khalid turned up and indeed Babar learned also that Khyam/Ausman was also in Pakistan.

54. On this occasion Babar and Waheed had a discussion. It may be of significance because Waheed said he couldn't understand why people were coming all the way to Pakistan or Afghanistan to fight when they should be fighting Jihad in the UK and conducting operations there.

55. Waheed took that theme further. Because he was concerned that he might be monitored by M15 in England, he suggested that a new convert to Islam should come to Pakistan to receive explosives training - a person less likely to be monitored and thereafter to return to the UK to train others.

56. The importance of these exchanges was the coming into existence of the two parts of the equation, firstly explosives training in Pakistan and secondly the fact that such training was to be acquired in order to conduct operations in the UK.

57. It did not rest there because on the following day Waheed told Babar and Amin/Khalid that he knew someone to contact in relation to explosives training.

58. Having provided the platform for the events which followed, it is unnecessary for me in opening to rehearse in detail those events as between Babar and the defendants. I will concentrate on those twin themes I have identified.

59. You will appreciate that the plans, the discussions included also training with weapons, training in poisons, raising money for the fighting in Afghanistan. However, because of the allegations you are here to try and because of subsequent events in the UK, I will concentrate on those two twin themes ie explosives training in Pakistan and bombs in the UK.

60. Before very long Waheed had details in relation to training camps. Khyam/Ausman travelled from Islamabad where he was living in early 2003 to visit Babar in Lahore. Another associate called Haleem was present. Khyam said he could arrange explosives training. He went into more detail and referred to two ingredients as being used for explosives. They were refined sugar and more significantly aluminum powder.

61. However, nothing concrete in relation to training happened immediately. Indeed, in the Spring of that year, 2003, Babar, Khyam and Waheed were back in England. Babar met them there and further he was introduced to Shujah - as you know Omar Khyam's brother.

62. On his return to Pakistan and as 2003 wore on, Babar learned more as to the explosives training particularly. He heard because he was a participator - one of the group.

63. Particularly from Khyam he heard that he, Khyam and Amin had received such training at a house in Kohat. A house in which Garcia had stayed. Training as to the theory and practice over a period of two days. [Plans folder, pages 48 and 49].

64. In addition a training camp was arranged in a place called Malakand. Various arrangements were made to finance such a camp. Khyam and Garcia made a trip to Gujar Khan to collect money from Waheed Mahmood's brother in law. Garcia also asked his brother Lamine to send cash over from the UK.

65. At much the same time Babar and Khyam went to meet Amin in Rawalpindi [Plans folder, page 48]. There was much conversation about detonators. Some detonators it is clear had already been obtained and there was discussions between Babar and Khyam as to how those detonators could be transported to the UK.

66. Indeed small radios were purchased in order that detonators could be transported by being hidden in those ratios.

67. At much the same time, June 03, three other events happened which are of significance. Firstly, Khyam told Babar that he wanted to do operations in the UK. He then referred to potential targets; pubs, nightclubs or trains. He talked again as to how the detonators might be transported to the UK. Khyam's motivation, as explained to Babar was clear. The UK was unscathed, it needed to be hit because of its support for the U.S.

68. Thirdly, Babar became aware that in his own flat (in Lahore) in which Khyam was at that time living was ammonium nitrate. It was kept in the closet. Ammonium nitrate is as we shall hear a vital ingredient of the type of improvised explosive device, or bomb, with which the allegations in this case are concerned. Garcia took part with Babar and Khyam in testing ways in which ammonium nitrate might be safely transported.

69. Khyam’s brother, Shujah, came over from the UK with a set of digital scales in order that the ratios of the ammonium nitrate to the aluminium powder might be measured. Whatever was to be used in the explosives training the plan clearly was that these substances were to be used for operations in the UK. Indeed Khyam referred to the probability of using an alternative substance, Urea, because as he put it "if this worked for making bombs this was one less ingredient needed to smuggle in to the UK."

70. In July 03, they went to the training camp - in fact to a place called Kalam initially {Plans folder, page 49}. Some care was taken in order to disguise the fact that they were attending a terrorist training camp. For example they took on the appearance of tourists visiting lakes and glaciers in the area in which the training camp was held. This device included even the taking of photographs and some survive, particularly of Shujah.

71. A number of associates arrived in Pakistan in order to attend the training camp. I shall not trouble you at this stage with their names but in relation to those men with whom we are directly concerned, Khyam was very much at the centre of operations. Amin stayed with others in Islamabad but didn’t actually attend the camp. Shujah attended as I already indicated. Garcia, not only attended, but because he had previous training, taught those with less experience how to dismantle and to reassemble weapons.

72. All those involved did not travel to and from the camp at the same time. Babar, for example, had to leave the camp at one stage to return to Lahore because his wife had given birth. Also, at a later stage, Omar Khyam and Babar went to Islamabad to collect other individuals who were to attend the camp.

73. One of those collected at Islamabad Airport was Jawad Akbar, the fourth defendant, you will remember using the name Hamza.

74. Ingredients including ammonium nitrate and aluminium powder were taken to the camp. There experiments were conducted, one unsuccessful, the other achieving its objective. Although only between a half and one kilogram of ammonium nitrate was used, the explosion, using also the aluminium powder, a metal water bottle and a short fuse, made a u-shaped hole under the ground and made the ground feel unstable. In view of events which were to materialise later in the year, that that effect was achieved with that small amount of ammonium nitrate, may be of significance.

75. What is also of equal significance is the fact that those experiments with explosives at the training camp appear to crystallise the view that the essential ingredients required to manufacture successful bombs were ammonium nitrate, aluminium powder and a detonator.

76. If I try to cut matters short, the defendants who attended the camp returned to England. They didn’t do so all at the same time and indeed Babar, Khyam and Amin still had matters to finalise in Pakistan.

77. These matters included how detonators were to be transported to the UK. A route via Belgium was provisionally agreed because Khyam said that the last part of the journey he could arrange by using the ferry where, according to him, there was limited security.

78. After Khyam had left England at the end of August or early September, Babar and Amin met in Pakistan. Babar wanted detonators which he knew Khyam had left with Amin. He said he wanted to take them to the UK. Amin said he would hand them over when they were needed. In addition, Babar wanted to see him so that he, Babar, could receive further explosives training. Both requests were turned down by Amin although he did tell Babar he would supply him with manuals of instruction in relation to explosives. These incidents perhaps indicate Amin’s relatively high position in the group or organisation with which we are concerned.

79. By the Autumn of 2003, although the ingredients for an explosive device had been identified and indeed tested, there was a problem in relation to those items. Firstly in relation to detonators, those which Babar had in his possession he had disposed of in October or November. This he did because he had to leave his home and move in with his in-laws. The majority of the aluminium powder had been used in the training exercises and although the remainder had probably gone with Khyam to England it would have been only a relatively small amount. In the Autumn of 2003 Babar also emailed Khyam in England requesting more money. In due course he received an advance from Khyam via Western Union.

80. And it is to England that Babar travelled in January 2004. There he met up with Khyam, Shujah, Waheed Mahmood and Jawad Akbar and Garcia albeit not at the same time.

81. In early February 2004, Babar returned to Pakistan and we shall leave him and the evidence I anticipate he will give, in order to move in a moment of two to an entirely different form of evidence.

82. Before I do that however, I want to remain with Babar and something I said when I introduced his evidence; that given that Babar falls within the category of an accomplice, a valuable test as to his truthfulness and accuracy may be gained by seeing how his evidence fits in with other evidence from separate and independent sources.

83. To this end, where possible, the investigating officers have tried to locate addresses, hotels, employment, money transfers etc and have examined records to see whether they support, or on the other hand, undermine Babar’s account.

84. As you will appreciate, on occasions records in Pakistan have not always been kept or retained. On other occasions, records are available and may be applied in the manner in which I have suggested.

85. Babar does not know of these enquiries but when he has given his evidence, we will be able to test how it compares with such other evidence. I am not going to itemise such evidence now there is one basic evidential tool to which I should introduce you so that you are familiar with it before Babar gives evidence.

86. This is a Time Chart or Time Line. It has, as you will see on the front page, a line alongside each defendant and some other individuals who feature. The purpose of the chart is to indicate, so far as records are available, entry into and departure from, Pakistan. If we go to page 7 for example, we find we are in the period June and July 2003. That was, you may remember, a period of some significance because according to Babar, that was when the Malakand training camp took place.

87. Against that background we see Khyam and Garcia are indeed in Pakistan. If we go back to page 6 we see Khyam arrived on 7 May; if we go back to page 5 we see Garcia arrived on 10 February. Reverting to page 7 we see Shujah arrived on 27 June, with his digital scales you may recall.

88. Jawad Akbar arrived later on 25 July and Khawaja a little earlier on 16 July - they attended later than the first batch you will recall. This chart is dependent upon records - passports and a system called PISCES which Pakistan had introduced only in the last two or three years and not at all airports. Accordingly the records may not be complete and may not cover someone - Amin may be an example - who has been in Pakistan on a long term basis.

89. The ability to test Babar’s evidence may come from two further sources. Firstly he has of course pleaded guilty in the United States to offences including what is described as the British bomb plot. While one may observe that an individual is unlikely to plead guilty to an offence which he has not committed, you will have the opportunity to see the record of his appearance before the court when he entered his pleas of guilty. As you may know, the system in the United States is somewhat different from our system and you will gauge the car which is taken before a defendant, and we are concerned here with Babar of course, is allowed to enter pleas of guilty.

90. The final source of evidence which may support Babar’s credibility may on occasions, ironically, comes from the defendants. I give you but two examples. In the period prior to the training camp, perhaps in May 2003, Babar had returned to Pakistan from the UK and found that Garcia was staying at a hotel, the Safari Hotel in Lahore, Because Garcia had run out of money, Babar had to allow him to stay at his flat at 13-S Ilyas Street. Unfortunately, records for the Safari Hotel no longer exist.

91. However, at Garcia’s home address at Ilford, was found in due course an undeveloped film. When that film was developed (DRH/158) and shown to the Pakistani landlord of the flat, in two of the photographs (numbers 1 and 24) he recognised the flat and indeed Garcia can be seen in the photographs {JB2, divider A, pages 1 and 24}.

92. Another example is to be found in the fact that according to Babar in the period before the training camp at Kalam, he, together with Khyam, Garcia and two others, went to Karachi to obtain funds from a man named Riaz. In doing so they stayed, he claims, at the Avari Hotel.

93. A document recovered from the Khyam/Shujah family home a year later, is a rental agreement in relation to the hire of a car from that hotel at that time. For completeness, that hotel has the records of the reservation in Babar’s name for five people for that stay ie from 9th to 12th June {JB2, divider C pages 186 and 187 and divider E page 233}.

94. I am only concerned at the moment with introducing to you ways in which you may test Babar’s evidence. The best time to test it in that way will of course be after you have heard the evidence.

95. I now move as I said I would a moment or two ago to an entirely different form of evidence. It is surveillance or covert evidence. Such evidence gathering was carried out from February 04 by the Security Services, Special Branch and the Anti-Terrorist Squad of the Metropolitan Police.

96. This category of evidence included the insertion of listening devices into the homes of two of the defendants. Firstly that of Omar Khyam in Slough and secondly that of Jawad Akbar in Uxbridge. Also, such a device was in the Suzuki Vitara - the vehicle of Khyam which I mentioned earlier.

97. In addition, surveillance operations were carried out ie, that is the following of the defendants, or some of them, whether while they were in vehicles or on foot. This was supplemented by static observation and on occasions, if it was available, CCTV.

98. In a perfect world a detailed picture would be built up for you as to what the defendants, or some of them, were doing, where they did it, what they were saying etc. Of course life is never quite that easy. Precisely what all the defendants were doing every minute with the period of surveillance is impossible to monitor. Further, when a number of individuals are speaking, and perhaps speaking with accents, to discern precisely what is being said is often difficult.

99. However, what you will be able to build up is a picture over this period,(and the essential period is between 11 February and approximately 23 March of 2004), of what in general terms these defendants were doing and saying. What we suggest such evidence does is to fit in with and compliment what they were doing and saying as revealed by Babar in the preceding months ie, it is the continuation of the preparation for the UK operation - an operation to plant a bomb or bombs with the inevitable consequences for the safety of human life and rather less important, that of property.

100. Before summarising for you the effect of this evidence, may I take a moment to explain how the evidence will be presented. In order for it to be comprehensible to you, we will present it in a daily format ie, what happened, where it happened and what was said, taking one day at a time.

101. Explanation of the PRESENTATION

102. The surveillance operation effectively ended on 30 March because it was on that day that the defendants were arrested.

103. In order to outline for you what was seen and heard I shall divide that overall period of some 7 weeks into 4 periods.

104. Firstly the 11 to 19 February - a period which sets the scene and concentrates mostly on Omar Khyam and his brother Shujah, the use of internet cafes etc.

105. Secondly a short period - a weekend in fact - from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 February. This weekend marked the visit of Momin Khawaja from Canada. You will recall Khawaja, about 7 or 8 months before had been in Pakistan and indeed had been at the training camp.

106. Thirdly the period from 23 February to 16 March - a period during which possible targets were discussed. Targets discussed in order to put into effect the knowledge and expertise in relation to explosives gained in Pakistan.

107. Finally 17 March to the arrests on 30 March. A period when it appeared that plans were moving towards a final phase.

Posted on 23 March 2006 @ 02:42