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London
07 September 2009
Three British Muslims have been found guilty of conspiring to kill
thousands of people three years ago by blowing up trans-Atlantic
jetliners with liquid explosives.
The men, all in their late 20s, were found guilty
of plotting to kill thousands by detonating explosives on commercial
aircraft while they were in-flight from London to North American
destinations in the U.S. and Canada.
The court heard that seven
flights were being considered by the group in what would have been the
largest terrorist attack since September 11, 2001.
Prosecutors
say the men planned to smuggle liquid explosives onto the planes
disguised as soft drinks. The devices would have been assembled in
airplane toilets and detonated by suicide bombers.
It is said
the planned attack was guided by senior militants in Pakistan who hoped
to mount a so-called 'spectacular' strike against the West.
Ring leader Abdullah Ahmed Ali was found guilty along with colleagues Assad Sarwar and Tanvir Hussain.
Shortly before his arrest just more than three years ago, Hussain, along with the others recorded so-called martyrdom videos.
"And
I only with that I could do this again, come back again and do it again
and just do it again and again until you know, people come to their
senses and they realize, realize you know, do not mess with the
Muslims," Hussain said.
Scotland Yards Anti-Terror chief, John McDowall says had the plot been carried out, it could have been devastating.
"This
was a hugely significant attack plan. With that number of aircraft,
with the types of destination that were being talked about, it is
conceivable to think of upwards of 2,000 casualties in the air
depending on the point of detonation whether others would have been
caught on the ground as well. These were just horrendously large
numbers of potential fatalities," McDowall said.
Because
of the plot, sweeping security changes were brought into the airline
industry, including restrictions on carrying liquids on planes that
persist to this day that many passengers just have to cope with.
"I
cannot travel with my hair products, a lot of make up, a lot of
different things that you would not think would be a problem," one passenger said.
Five other defendants in the London trial were acquitted.
All
of the men say they never intended to bring down any planes, but rather
they wanted to unleash a series of harmless stunt explosions on famous
landmarks here to in their words, "expose the failings of Western
foreign policy."
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