Five men found guilty of acting as accomplices to help the July 21 London bombers evade police in the aftermath of the attacks were today convicted and given lengthy jail sentences at Kingston Crown Court.

The five provided safe houses and passports, clothing and food, while the failed attackers were on the run after their abortive attempt to blow up parts of London's transport network on July 21, 2005.

Wahbi Mohammed, 25, from Stockwell, was jailed for 17 years; Siraj Ali, 33, from Enfield, was given 12 years; and Abdul Sherif, 30, from Stockwell, was given 10 years. All three had close relatives or friends among the attackers.

The other two defendants were Ismail Abdurahman, 25, from Lambeth, who was given 10 years; and Muhedin Ali, 29, from Ladbroke Grove, who was sentenced to seven years.

Between them they were convicted of 22 charges of failing to disclose information about terrorism and assisting an offender following a four-month trial at Kingston Crown Court.

The five men attempted to help the failed London bombers Muktar Said Ibrahim, Hussein Osman, Yassin Omar and Ramzi Mohammed, who were all found guilty of conspiracy to murder and jailed for life following a six month trial at Woolwich Crown Court last year.

They tried to detonate rucksack bombs packed with high explosives, hydrogen peroxide and chapati flour, on Tubes at Shepherd’s Bush, Warren Street and Oval stations and on a bus at Shoreditch High Street. Each device failed to explode, sparing London a repeat of the 7/7 attacks which killed more than 50 people just two weeks earlier.

The jury heard that all five defendants were originally from Africa but had been living in London for some years.

Abdul Sherif was Osman’s brother and was in contact with him in the run up to the failed attacks. Max Hill, for the prosecution, said that Sherif had betrayed his terrorist sympathies through his "euphoric" and "buoyant mood" after the July 7 bombings, showing a pub landlord a text message saying "there will be more bloodshed in London".

Following his brother’s failed attempt to detonate his device at Shepherd’s Bush, Sherif lent his brother his own passport to help him get away, and played an "integral part" in arranging for Osman to travel to Italy to stay with other family members.

Two days later Osman fled the country via Eurostar from Waterloo. He was eventually arrested in Rome.

The court heard that Wahbi Mohammed, the brother of would-be Oval Tube station bomber Ramzi Mohammed, was present at his brother's flat in Dalgarno Gardens as the final preparations were made on the morning of July 21, and took away a video camera used to make their suicide videos.

Mr Hill said that after the attacks he assisted Ramzi by taking him food, a new mobile phone, sim card, charger and electricity as he remained in hiding with Ibrahim at Dalgarno Gardens.

He also acted as a "go-between", making arrangements for the bombers while they were in hiding, and returning the video camera to Osman, said Mr Hill.

The court heard Siraj Ali shared foster parents with the Warren Street bomber Yassin Omar lived, and lived in the same block of flats in New Southgate. Other July 21 plotters stayed in Ali's flat when the fumes from Omar's bombmaking became too much in the flat below.

Police found incriminating evidence in Ali's flat, including a ripped-up list of bomb parts was found in his bin and a notepad linked to the plot ringleader on his desk containing an Arabic script titled "Steps to Martyrdom".

Mr Hill said that Ali was involved in the massive clear-up of Omar's flat in the aftermath of the failed attacks. He told the jury the caretaker noticed that the communal bins outside were "overflowing" by July 25 and a huge number of items, including 186 empty bottles of hydrogen peroxide and light bulbs, were discovered.

Mr Hill said: "Only someone with prior knowledge would have been trusted to become involved in the clear-up of such incriminating items."

The jury heard that Abdurahman, an administrative assistant with a firm of solicitors, had allowed Osman to stay at his home for three days before he fled the country on July 26. He said Abdurahman also acted as a "runner", retrieving a video camera and Sherif’s passport for him.

The final defendant, Muhedin Ali, was a friend and associate of Osman and the Mohammed brothers. He took possession of extremist cassette tapes belonging to Osman on the night before the attacks. Ramzi Mohammed’s suicide note was also found by police in an envelope in the hallway cupboard of his Ladbroke Grove home six months after 21/7.

Mr Hill told the jury that all five men had taken "positive steps" to help the bombers hide or escape.

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