The fifth July 21 bomber lost his nerve at the last minute and dismantled a booby-trapped sideboard that could have blown up a tower block, a court heard yesterday.

Manfo Kwaku Asiedo potentially saved dozens of lives after he disassembled the device set up by one of his codefendants at their north London “bomb factory”, Stephen Kamlish, for the defence, said. Mr Asiedo, 34, was not capable of “malicious and sophisticated badness” he added. “When he gingerly opened the sideboard, he felt what was in it, and it was him that dismantled that bomb.

“He’s not asking for any applause, but if he hadn’t have done it and it was a bomb that actually worked . . . he was in fact responsible — potentially — for saving the block and all the people in it.”

Mr Asiedu is one of six men who deny conspiracy to murder and to cause explosions across London's transport network on July 21, 2005.

He broke ranks with the other defendants two months into the trial, accusing one of the accused, Muktar Said Ibrahim, of planning an attack “bigger and better” than July 7.

Mr Kamlish said that Mr Asiedu, whom jurors at Woolwich Crown Court were told was really called Sumailia Abu-bakhari, was “used and abused” by Ibrahim who was a “cowardly manipulative schemer“.

He said that until recently, Mr Ibrahim and his codefendant Yassin Omar’s “influence” had stopped him “from giving the game away”. He added that there was “simply no evidence” of Asiedu being a fanatic.

The trial continues.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• What makes the perfect mum?
• To keep me stress-free, no more awareness days, please
• What do lottery winners buy?