One of the accused in the Glasgow airport bombing case has admitted in a London court to unsuccessfully plotting to set two cars on fire in the British capital a day prior to the Glasgow bombing in 2007.
LONDON: One of the accused in the Glasgow airport bombing case has admitted in a London court to unsuccessfully plotting to set two cars on fire in the British capital a day prior to the Glasgow bombing in 2007.
The Woolich Crown Court is currently hearing the deposition of Bilal Abdullah, 29, from Iraq, who is on trial with Mohammed Asha, 28, accused of conspiracy to murder and to cause explosions. The other conspirator, Kafeel Ahmed, 28, of Indian origin, died in the Glasgow blast.
On June 30, 2007 - three days after Glasgow-born Gordon Brown took over as prime minister of Britain - a jeep was driven to the glass doors of the Glasgow international airport and set ablaze. No deaths were reported, though many were injured. Security bollards prevented the jeep from entering the airport itself.
The occupants were arrested and Ahmed was identified as the driver, while Abdullah was found to be the other passenger. Ahmed died of burn injuries that August.
A day earlier, a green Mercedes was noticed outside a nightclub in London's West End, with smoke coming out of the vehicle. A bombing device inside the vehicle was deactivated by the police who then had no clue about the perpetrators.
Abdullah is also accused of attempting to murder hundreds of people by leaving mobile phone-detonated car bombs outside a West End nightclub. The prosecution alleges that when the devices failed to detonate, Abdullah joined a suicide attack on Glasgow airport the next day.
Abdullah told the Woolich Crown Court that he had researched and prepared the devices in Houston, near Glasgow, with Ahmed, an Indian engineering student.
He also said that Ahmed, who died after he and Abdullah allegedly drove a jeep into Glasgow airport, was in London on July 7, 2005, when serial blasts took place in London's underground.
He told the court he felt the "horror and terror" of the 2005 London bombings, but in the same breath, added he wanted to "bring the Iraq issue to life", The Times reported.
"I wanted the public to taste what is going on, for them to have a taste of what the decisions of their democratically elected murderers did to my people. We intended to bring a device that would give just a taste, the taste of fear. It will look professional, it was dangerous, but in reality it is not. It is a device that will not kill people," he said.
Abdullah said Ahmed was the driving force behind the conspiracy.
Referring to the plans, Abdullah said: "The plan was Kafeel would use cars that would have petrol canisters at the back of the car, the boot. We will use mobile phones to ignite the petrol and the cars will burn. The second part of the plan was we would call the cars from far away. He will be in one of the airports and myself just about to get on a plane."
Abdullah said he and Ahmed had packed the cars with the petrol, gas canisters and electronic initiators, and then piled junk from the garage on top to make it look like they were moving home.
They parked the car near the Tiger nightclub in the West End. They then moved away and tried to detonate the car by a remote device. It failed to explode and in panic, they went to Glasgow where they collected a package of important documents, including their passports, from the third conspirator, Asha.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}