Aircraft terror suspects in court

A police van containing suspects arrives at City of Westminster magistrates court in central London. Picture / Reuters

LONDON - Eleven people were to make their first appearances in court overnight in connection with the alleged plot to blow up planes travelling between Britain and the United States.

Britain charged eight British Muslims with plotting to blow up planes after police found bomb-making equipment, suicide notes and "martyrdom videos".

Three others were charged with terrorism-related offences by police investigating the suspected plot.

US officials have said the plot to use liquid explosives could have caused a disaster on the scale of the September 11, 2001 attacks on US cities that killed nearly 3000 people.

Eight of the suspects were charged with conspiracy to murder and preparing acts of terrorism, prosecutor Susan Hemming said.

They are accused of plotting to smuggle parts of home-made bombs on to planes, then build the bombs and detonate them.

The charges come 13 months after four British Muslim suicide bombers killed themselves and 52 other people during rush hour on public transport in London. Two left videos saying they acted to punish Britain for its foreign policy.

Peter Clarke, head of London police's anti-terrorist branch, said police had seized a huge amount of equipment and evidence, including "martyrdom videos" - an apparent reference to testaments by would-be suicide bombers - in 69 searches of houses, businesses, vehicles and open spaces.

They had found bomb-making equipment, chemicals including hydrogen peroxide, electrical components and documents, he said.

A 17-year-old youth was charged with possessing items useful to a terrorist, including a book on home-made bombs, suicide notes, wills "with the identities of persons prepared to commit acts of terrorism" and a map of Afghanistan, prosecutors said.

Two other suspects - including the mother of an eight-month-old baby - were charged with failing to report the plot, Hemming said.

Of the 23 British Muslims arrested in the operation, 11 are being held pending a decision whether to charge them. Another woman was released without charge.

Clarke said the scale of the police investigation was immense and inquiries would "span the globe".

The suspected plot was enormous and the inquiry would take many months, he said.

The unusually detailed account of the investigation given by police may be aimed at countering scepticism about the probe among some Muslims after several police blunders.

As many as 17 people are also being held in Pakistan over the suspected plot - including at least two British nationals.

Police also seized more than 400 computers, 200 mobile telephones and 8000 memory sticks, compact disks and DVDs.


Seized

Investigators say they have found a huge amount of evidence. Key items include:
* "Martyrdom videos" - an apparent reference to testaments by would-be suicide bombers
* More than 400 computers, 200 mobile telephones and 8000 computer media items such as memory sticks, CDs and DVDs. Police experts have removed 6000 gigabytes of data from the seized computers
* Bomb making equipment, including chemicals and electrical components seized, police say

Charged

Conspiracy to murder:
* Ahmed Abdullah Ali, also known as Abdullah Ali Ahmed Khan
* Tanvir Hussain
* Umar Islam, also known as Brian Young
* Arafat Waheed Khan
* Assad Ali Sarwar
* Adam Khatib
* Ibrahim Savant
* Waheed Zaman

Failing to report the plot:
* Cossar Ali
* Mehran Hussain

Possessing items useful to a terrorist:
* A 17-year-old youth, not named because he is a minor


- REUTERS