AN INDIAN man was jailed in Bombay yesterday for plotting to fly passenger jets into the House of Commons and Tower Bridge in London on September 11, 2001.

Mohammed Afroze was sentenced to seven years after he admitted that he had a role in an al-Qaeda plot to attack London, the Rialto Towers building in Melbourne and the Indian Parliament.

His lawyer has claimed, however, that the confession was “forcefully taken” and that Afroze was tortured by Indian police.

Afroze admitted that he and seven al-Qaeda operatives planned to hijack aircraft at Heathrow and fly them into the two London landmarks. The suicide squad included men from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Afroze said. They booked seats on two Manchester-bound flights, but fled just before they were due to board.

Afroze returned to India in October 2001. He was arrested in Bombay and charged with “committing depredation on territories at peace with India”.

Mobin Solker, his lawyer, pledged to challenge the conviction, saying: “The confessional statement was taken in custody where Afroze was pressurised and tortured . . . My client, who was pursuing a career in flying, happened to be a Muslim and happened to come back to India not long after September 11.”

Mr Solker said that police from Britain, Australia and the US had been to India to see evidence against Afroze, but had not requested extradition.

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