Four Islamic extremists 'plotted to drive a remote control car carrying a home made BOMB under the gates of Territorial Army base'
Terror plotters discussed sending a
remote controlled toy car carrying a home made bomb under the gates of a
Territorial Army centre, a court was told.
Zahid Iqbal, 31, and Mohammed Sharfaraz Ahmed, 25, spoke about using a banned terrorist manual entitled ‘Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom - by the al Qaida Chef' to make an improvised explosive device.
Woolich Crown court was played covert recordings of the pair discussing attaching a bomb to a remote controlled toy car and sending it under the gap of a gate to a Territorial Army centre in Luton.
Iqbal, 32, and Ahmed, 25, trained in
Snowdonia and Pakistan in preparation for waging jihad.
The court heard ringleader Iqbal had organised for people to travel Pakistan for extremist training, including helping Ahmed to travel to the country in March 2011, and radicalising two other defendants Umar Arshad, 24, and Syed Farhan Hussain, 22.
Inspired by Al Qaeda, Iqbal and Ahmed first plotted at attack Coalition forces in Afghanistan before choosing to target home soil when they lost their Middle East contact.
Prosecuting, Max Hill QC, said the group were subject of a vast surveillance operation, which included placing listening devices in the cars of Iqbal and Ahmed.
On April 22, Iqbal and Ahmed were recorded discussing modifying a bomb to blow up the Territorial Army base in Luton.
Mr Hill said: ‘They discussed making an IED following instructions from an Inspire magazine which they planned to adapt,’ he said.
‘They also identified a target for
such an attack, namely a Territorial Army base in their locality,
although they discussed targeting multiple sites at one time,’ he said.
Iqbal is heard saying: ‘That’s what I was thinking about . . . to attach it to like a remote control car.
‘I was looking and drove past like the TA centre, Marsh Road. At the bottom of their gate there’s quite a big gap.
‘If you had a little toy car it drives underneath one of their vehicles or something.’
Ahmed then responded that it was a ‘good idea’.
A search of Iqbal’s house found a hard drive containing a number of items including a copy of 44 Ways to Support Jihad, by Anwar Al Awlaki, the court heard.
A copy of banned al Qaeda magazine Inspire, was also found, including
articles on bypassing airport security and transporting explosives in printer cartridges.
The court heard that the group trained in the mountainous area of Snowdonia in north Wales to acclimatise themselves to the similar terrain of Waziristan in the north west frontier.
‘The surveillance in Snowdon shows on occasion Ahmed and his associates carrying out regimental walking, press-ups, running in formation and using logs perhaps as mock firearms,’ Mr Hill said.
'He stated that Snowdon was a particular favourite location to train because within the UK it bears the most resemblance to the mountainous regions of Pakistan,’
The men, all from Luton, admitted one count of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism between January 1 2011 and April 25 2012 at a hearing on March 1.
The hearing continues.
Zahid Iqbal, 31, and Mohammed Sharfaraz Ahmed, 25, spoke about using a banned terrorist manual entitled ‘Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom - by the al Qaida Chef' to make an improvised explosive device.
Woolich Crown court was played covert recordings of the pair discussing attaching a bomb to a remote controlled toy car and sending it under the gap of a gate to a Territorial Army centre in Luton.
Ringleader Zahid Iqbal (left) and Mohammed
Sharfaraz Ahmed (right) were recorded discussing using a bomb fixed to a
remote control car to blow up the TA centre in Luton
The court heard ringleader Iqbal had organised for people to travel Pakistan for extremist training, including helping Ahmed to travel to the country in March 2011, and radicalising two other defendants Umar Arshad, 24, and Syed Farhan Hussain, 22.
Inspired by Al Qaeda, Iqbal and Ahmed first plotted at attack Coalition forces in Afghanistan before choosing to target home soil when they lost their Middle East contact.
Prosecuting, Max Hill QC, said the group were subject of a vast surveillance operation, which included placing listening devices in the cars of Iqbal and Ahmed.
On April 22, Iqbal and Ahmed were recorded discussing modifying a bomb to blow up the Territorial Army base in Luton.
Mr Hill said: ‘They discussed making an IED following instructions from an Inspire magazine which they planned to adapt,’ he said.
Umar Arshad, 24, (left) and Syed Farhan Hussain,
21, (right) were allegedly radicalised by Iqbal and Ahmed. They pleaded
guilty to one charge of conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism
Iqbal is heard saying: ‘That’s what I was thinking about . . . to attach it to like a remote control car.
‘I was looking and drove past like the TA centre, Marsh Road. At the bottom of their gate there’s quite a big gap.
‘If you had a little toy car it drives underneath one of their vehicles or something.’
Ahmed then responded that it was a ‘good idea’.
A search of Iqbal’s house found a hard drive containing a number of items including a copy of 44 Ways to Support Jihad, by Anwar Al Awlaki, the court heard.
Covert recordings captured the men discussing
plans to use a bomb attached to a remote control car to blow up the
Luton Territorial Army Centre
The court heard that the group trained in the mountainous area of Snowdonia in north Wales to acclimatise themselves to the similar terrain of Waziristan in the north west frontier.
‘The surveillance in Snowdon shows on occasion Ahmed and his associates carrying out regimental walking, press-ups, running in formation and using logs perhaps as mock firearms,’ Mr Hill said.
'He stated that Snowdon was a particular favourite location to train because within the UK it bears the most resemblance to the mountainous regions of Pakistan,’
The men, all from Luton, admitted one count of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism between January 1 2011 and April 25 2012 at a hearing on March 1.
The hearing continues.