Six trained at terrorist camps in Pakistan, two were said to have worked for al-Qaeda’s third-in-command and one said that Britain “needed to be hit because of its support for the US”. Their alleged plan to attack a nightclub, train or pub was averted at the last minute — after they had acquired all the bomb ingredients but before they could decide which site to hit. The men, mostly British-born, are standing trial after being held at Belmarsh prison for up to two years.

The defendants, the court was told, obtained ammonium nitrate fertiliser, aluminium powder and detonators to set off the device remotely. The plot, which involved accomplices in Canada, the US and Pakistan, was foiled after months of surveillance by MI5, anti-terrorism and Special Branch officers.

Relatives and friends of the men packed into court for the start of a trial scheduled to last at least six months. It took three days to choose a panel that could sit that long, from more than 120 potential jurors.

Salahuddin Amin, 31, of Luton; Shujah Mahmood, 18, and his brother, Omar Khyam, 24, Jawad Akbar, 22, and Waheed Mahmoud, 34, all of Crawley; West Sussex; Anthony Garcia, 27, of Ilford, East London; and Nabeel Hussain, 20, from Horley, Surrey, all deny conspiring to cause an explosion likely to endanger life, between October 2003 and March 2004. Mr Khyam, Mr Garcia and Mr Hussain also deny possessing 600kg of fertiliser, containing ammonium nitrate, for the purposes of terrorism. Mr Khyam and Shujah Mahmood deny possessing aluminium powder, also for the purpose of terrorism.

David Waters, QC, for the prosecution, said that some of the defendants had pretended to be tourists to disguise that they were attending a terrorist training camp in Pakistan and acquiring explosive ingredients.

Their plan, he said, was to use a bomb or bombs to “kill and injure citizens of the United Kingdom . . . They were intercepted before the plot could reach fruition . . . when most of the necessary components were in place. All that remained before their plans achieved their ultimate goal was for the target or targets to be finally agreed.

“Many of the defendants have spent time in Pakistan. Some have family connections with that country. Their principal purpose, however, in spending time in Pakistan was to acquire expertise in relation, particularly to explosives.”

Mr Waters said that two other men involved in the plot were Momin Khawaja, from Ontario, who awaits trial in Canada, and Mohammad Babar, an American citizen, who has pleaded guilty in New York to terrorist-related offences. These include a “British bomb plot” — the acquisition of ammonium nitrate and aluminium powder for bombs to be used in attacks in Britain.

The court was told that Mr Babar had given evidence against the British defendants in return for immunity from prosecution. He left the US for Pakistan days after the September 11 attacks and founded a bureau for al-Mujiharoun there.

All the defendants, apart from Mr Hussain, allegedly trained at camps in Pakistan and spent time in Britain with Mr Babar. They frequently changed their names, used code words and regularly disposed of their laptop computers and mobile phones.

Mr Waters said that in one discussion with Mr Babar, Waheed Mahmood had said he “couldn’t understand why people were coming all the way to Pakistan or Afghanistan to fight when they should be fighting jihad in the UK”. Concerned about MI5 surveillance, he suggested that a new Islamic convert receive explosives training in Pakistan and return to Britain to teach others.

Mr Khyam allegedly told Mr Babar that he wanted to do operations in Britain, referring to pubs, nightclubs or trains as potential targets.

Shujah Mahmood arrived in Pakistan with digital scales for weighing ratios of ammonium nitrate to aluminium powder. Mr Garcia attended training camps and “taught those with less experience how to dismantle and reassemble weapons”. The men were said to have experimented at the camp with ammonium nitrate and aluminium powder, causing small explosions.

The trial continues.

THE DEFENDANTS

Omar Khyam, 24, from Crawley, West Sussex. Formerly lived in Slough. Also known as Ausman. Said by the prosecution to be “very much at the centre of operations”

Anthony Garcia, 27, from Ilford, East London. Also known as Rahman Adam, Abdul Rahman, John Lewis or Rizvan. Allegedly taught weapons training at camps in Pakistan

Nabeel Hussain, 20, from Horley, Surrey. Lived in Uxbridge while a student at Brunel University. The only defendant not to attend training camps in Pakistan and the only one given bail

Jawad Akbar, 22, from Crawley. Also lived in Uxbridge for a time. Also known as Hamza

Waheed Mahmood, 34, from Crawley. Worked for National Grid Transco, which the prosecution said would be a significant point in this case. Also known as Abdul, Esmail or Javed

Shujah Mahmood, 18, Omar Khyam’s younger brother. Also from Crawley. Prosecution alleges that he arrived in Pakistan with digital scales for weighing ratios of ammonium nitrate to aluminium powder

Salahuddin Amin, 31, from Luton. Spent considerable period in Pakistan. Also known as Khalid

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