The jury in the 21/7 terror trial was discharged today after failing to reach a verdict on charges against the last two defendants in the case.

After a six-month trial and almost a week of deliberations the jury at Woolwich Crown Court yesterday returned unanimous guilty verdicts against three of the failed suicide bombers and a majority verdict against a fourth.

But the nine women and three men of the jury were sent home today after telling the judge, Mr Justice Fulford, QC, that they could not reach verdicts against two other defendants, Manfo Kwaku Asiedu, 34, of no fixed address, and Adel Yahya, 24, of High Road, Tottenham, North London, who both deny conspiracy to murder.

Mr Justice Fulford told prosecutors that it would be "helpful" if they could decide by tomorrow morning on whether to ask for a retrial. Until then the two defendants would remain in custody, although he accepted that a bail application for Mr Yahya may be made later. He said that he would sentence the four convicted men tomorrow.

‘Items sent as earthquake aid’

Hidden among clothing were goods selected and purchased to support the activities of terrorists, a court was told

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The prosecution had alleged that Mr Asiedu was the 'fifth bomber', but backed out at the last minute and abandoned his rucksack bomb in a West London park. Mr Yahya was said to be part of the group's "inner circle", but denied any involvement.

Meanwhile, anti-terrorist police and the security services are facing questions about how the leader of the failed suicide bomb plot, Muktar Said Ibrahim, was allowed to leave the UK while facing charges over extremist behaviour.

Ibrahim, Yassin Omar, Ramzi Mohammed and Hussain Osman, who all came to Britain as refugees from the Horn of Africa, were found guilty of conspiracy to murder on July 21, 2005 in a plot that had chilling echoes of the 7.7 attacks, in which 52 innocent people were killed two weeks earlier.

The jury convicted Ibrahim of trying to explode a home-made bomb on a No 26 bus in Hackney on the day of the failed plot. It found Mohammed guilty of attempting to blow up a Northern Line Tube train at Oval, Omar of trying to explode a rucksack on the Victoria Line at Warren Street and Osman of an attempt on a Hammersmith and City train near Shepherd’s Bush.

Mr Asiedu and Mr Yahya did not react as the jury was dismissed today.

Mr Justice Fulford told the jurors: "Your patience, good humour and perseverance in the face of this lengthy trial has been exemplary. These are only words, but you have my whole-hearted thanks.

"You were told that this trial would last for a maximum period of three months, this trial then doubled in length. Many of you have made significant and personal sacrifices to participate in these proceedings and you have had to make very important decisions having reviewed a huge weight of evidence."

He said that none of the jurors would have to take part in jury service again and added: "The fact you were unable to reach a verdict on two of the defendants does not in any way reflect badly on any of you."

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