Eight Islamist terrorists with the “cold-eyed certainty” of fanatics plotted to blow up several transatlantic airliners in mid-air in what would have brought about a death toll of “almost unimaginable scale”, a court was told today.

The alleged suicide mission, “in the name of Islam”, would have involved the suspects boarding seven flights leaving London for the United States and Canada with explosives disguised as soft drinks. Once on board, homemade bombs would explode on each aircraft, killing all the passengers and causing casualties on an “almost unprecedented” scale.

Peter Wright, QC, for the prosecution, said: “What these men intended to bring about was a violent and deadly statement of intent that would have truly global impact.”

He said the plot had been foiled when two of the suspects, Abdullah Ali and Assad Sarwar, were arrested on the night of August 9, 2006, as they were meeting in Walthamstow, East London. Officers swooped on Mr Ali as he met Mr Sarwar in a public car park.

In his pocket they found a computer memory stick containing details of one-way flights from Heathrow, the court was told.

Seven scheduled flights on three carriers - Air Canada, United Airlines and American Airlines - departing from Terminal 3 were highlighted. The destinations were San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal, Washington, New York and two services to Chicago.

Mr Wright said there was evidence the accused had ambitions to bring down more than seven aircraft. He said a conversation between two of the men revealed they also considered other terminals and as many as 18 suicide bombers.

Woolwich Crown Court was told that the suspects wanted the flights to be blown up while they were over the Atlantic, meaning none of the other aircraft could be saved after the first exploded. The seven airliners would be “entirely at the mercy of the suicide bombers who happened to be on board with their explosive devices.”

The jury was told that the main agent in the homemade explosives would be hydrogen peroxide mixed with other organic materials. Mr Wright said the liquid explosive would be concealed in 500ml plastic bottles of Oasis and Lucozade to be smuggled on board.A sugary drink known as Tang would be mixed with the solution to add power to the blast. This main charge would be detonated by another substance known as HMTD concealed within AA1.5v batteries.

Mr Wright said: “Hydrogen peroxide has a number of legitimate domestic and commercial purposes. It is available for purchase by the public. When mixed with an organic material in an appropriate strength it has explosive properties. It is capable of being detonated to deadly effect, as previous terrorist incidents have demonstrated."

The court heard that an address book belonging to Mr Ali, 27, seized by police, contained details showing the formula to be used in the explosives. It allegedly contained phrases like “Lucozade red 1.5 drops”, “Check time taken to dilute in HP”, and “decide on which battery to use for D, small is best”.

Elsewhere in Mr Ali's handwritten diary he allegedly referred to how the materials for the bombs were to be transported on to the aircraft. On one page he wrote: “Select date, five days before jet. All link up. Dirty mag to distract, condom.

“One drink use, other keep in pocket, maybe will not get through.

“Plus keys and chewing gum on the D in the electronic device.”

Another page referred to various coloured soft drinks. Mr Wright said that Mr Ali “chose to lie” and said he could not remember when police asked him about the significance of these diary entries. He added that the explosions allegedly planned by the men would have “devastating consequences” and would have been done “all in the name of Islam”.

"These men were, we say, indifferent to the carnage that was likely to ensue,” he said. “Inevitably, such an event would also have fatal consequences for the various passengers and crew who happened, quite by chance, to be flying to North America on the day selected by them to commit their atrocity.

“These men and others were actively engaged in a deadly plan which, had they been successful, would have brought about a civilian toll from an act of terrorism on an almost unprecedented scale.”

Mr Ali, also known as Ahmed Ali Khan, 27, of Walthamstow, Mr Sarwar, 24, of High Wycombe, Tanvir Hussain, 27, of no fixed address, Mohammed Gulzar, 26, of Barking, Ibrahim Savant, 27, of Walthamstow, Arafat Waheed Khan, 26, of Walthamstow, Waheed Zaman, 23, of Walthamstow and Umar Islam, aka Brian Young, 29, of High Wycombe, all deny conspiring to murder others and endangering aircraft

The trial was adjourned for the day and continues tomorrow at 10am.

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