Briton admits to bomb plots in US and UK

A polcie van carrying the suspect arrives at court in London. Picture / Reuters

LONDON - A Briton arrested amid a massive US security alert two years ago admitted in a London court overnight to plotting to blow up financial targets in the United States and carry out "dirty bomb" attacks in Britain.

Dhiren Barot, a Muslim convert, admitted to plotting to blow up the headquarters of the New York Stock Exchange, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Citigroup and Prudential in Washington, New Jersey and New York.

"Explosions at these premises were clearly designed to kill as many people as possible," said prosecuting lawyer Edmund Lawson.

Amid tight security at Woolwich Crown Court, Barot pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder and prosecutors outlined the details of his confession. Barot, looking relaxed and typing on a lap-top, spoke only to affirm his guilt.

Apart from the US plot, he planned to hit British targets in a conspiracy called the "Gas Limos Project", which "involved parking three limos with gas cylinders with explosives and detonating them in underground car parks," Lawson said.

And he admitted another plan to detonate at least one "dirty bomb" contaminated with radiological material in Britain. The prosecution said Barot claimed the dirty bomb was not designed to kill but "rather to cause injury, fear, terror and chaos".

Under tight media laws, the judge ordered that further details of the conspiracy not be reported to prevent prejudicing the trials of any future defendants.

The plans did not seem to have reached an advanced stage. The prosecution said it accepted Barot's assertion that no funding, vehicles or bomb making equipment had been in place.

"We are happy to confirm that because it's a true statement of fact," said Lawson.

Massive alert

Barot was arrested by British police in August 2004 after a massive security alert in the United States.

The US Homeland Security Advisory level was raised to "high", police with assault rifles were posted at possible targets, barricades were erected and traffic into Manhattan via bridges and tunnels were restricted.

The very public US response to the case in 2004 -- just weeks before a presidential election -- attracted criticism.

Because three years had passed since Barot had visited his potential targets, and he was under tight British surveillance at the time, some Democrats accused the Republican-led administration of overstating the immediacy of the threat.

"I am concerned that every time something happens that's not good for US President George W. Bush, he plays this trump card, which is terrorism," Howard Dean, now chairman of the Democratic Party, said at the time.

US media and security experts also expressed concern at the time that the high profile US public response may have hurt investigations by exposing the identity of source who helped track down Barot.

US officials said in 2004 that they believed the plot was at an advanced stage, an assertion apparently contradicted by the British prosecutors on Thursday.

- REUTERS