Eleven remanded in custody over London air terror plot

LONDON: Eleven people were remanded in custody on Tuesday and told to return to court on September 4 on Tuesday over an alleged plot to put suicide bombers on US-bound airliners.          

The 11 accused -- including a young mother and a minor -- appeared in magistrates court a day after they were charged by anti-terrorist police, and 12 days after a wave of police raids in and around the British capital which prompted unprecedented security measures at airports worldwide.              

The men appeared before judge Timothy Workman at City of Westminster magistrates court Tuesday wearing white sweatshirts, grey jogging pants and trimmed beards, and flanked by five guards. The woman wore a hijab, or headscarf.   

No pleas were entered, and the accused spoke only to confirm their names, dates of birth and addresses. But Mohammed Zeb, a lawyer for one of the accused, Tanvir Hussain, stated that "all allegations are denied".        

Workman instructed the 11 to reappear on September 4 before judge Anne Rafferty at the Old Bailey criminal court in central London -- traditional venue for Britain's biggest criminal trials.       

Eleven other people remain in police custody for questioning but have not been charged. A further two who were arrested on or after August 10 have been released.