Steve Bird
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A man accused of plotting to blow up a plane recorded a martyrdom video
praising Osama bin Laden for inspiring him to attempt to kill hundreds of
people, a court heard.
Umar Islam jabbed his finger at the camera as he said that Allah “loves us to
die and kill in his path”.
During the 19-minute video the 29-year-old man said he was taking revenge for
the invasion of Iraq and warned the British public to avoid “government,
military and economic targets” if they wanted to stay alive.
He repeatedly checked his note on his lap as he told how the leaders of
al-Qaeda had encouraged him to wage jihad, or holy war. “To Mullah Omar and
Sheikh Osama and the brothers, keep on going, keep on remaining firm, but
truly you have inspired many of the Muslims and you have inspired me
personally to follow the true path of the prophet,” he said.
He condemned British people for not caring about the plight of Muslims around
the world. For this reason, all Britons were targets.
Against a backdrop of a black flag with white Arabic writing he said: “Most of
you too busy, you know, watching Home and Away and East-Enders,
complaining about the World Cup, drinking your alcohol, to even care about
anything. I know because I’ve come from that.”
Mr Islam is one of eight men accused of conspiring to murder thousands by
detonating homemade bombs on aircraft flying from London to North America.
They deny the charges. He and five other defendants recorded martyrdom
videos, it was claimed. The recordings were found in 2006 in the back of a
Nissan Primera car owned by Assad Sarwar, who is accused of being one of the
conspiracy ringleaders, the prosecution said.
The jury at Woolwich Crown Court was told that Abdulla Ahmed Ali, another
alleged leader of the gang, asked questions from behind the camera.
Mr Islam said: “This is revenge for the actions of the USA in the Muslim lands
and their accomplices such as the British and the Jews.”
Calling others Muslims to “come back to Islam” he urged them to attack
“military targets, economic targets and government targets” because of those
Muslims suffering in Palestine, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Abu Ghraib, Iraq and
Guantanamo Bay.
He said: “I say to you disbelievers that as you bomb, you will be bombed and
as you kill, you will be killed and if you want to kill our women and
children, then the same thing will happen to you. This is not a joke.”
A second video found was played to the jury in which Arafat Waheed Khan said
taxpayers were funding the wars that were killing Muslims.
During the four-minute video he urged people to look at historic events
including the Crusades to see the “ big war going on from east to west”.
The jury was given a list of items seized from Mr Sarwar’s home, including
Islamic extremist literature. Voice-changing devices that can be attached to
mobile telephones were also found. Syringes, flasks, food colouring,
batteries and mobile phones, Sim cards and top-up cards were also found.
Research was held on memory sticks about UK oil refineries and terminals, and
details about Canary Wharf, Stansted airport and the gas pipeline between
Britain and Belgium were also discovered. There were also addresses of
hydrogen peroxide companies across the country and 16 aerial photos of
Stanlow oil refinery.
The defendants are Mr Ali, aka Ahmed Ali Khan, 27, from Walthamstow, northeast
London; Mr Sarwar, 27, from High Wycombe; Tanvir Hussain, 27, from Leyton,
East London; Mohammed Gulzar, 26, from Barking; Ibrahim Savant, 27, from
Stoke Newington, North London; Arafat Waheed Khan, 26; Waheed Zaman, 23,
both from Walthamstow; and Mr Islam, aka Brian Young, from Plaistow, East
London. The trial continues.
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