Terror Plotters Who Planned To Blow Up London Stock Exchange Jailed

Splash Terror 1

First Posted: 9/02/2012 15:43 Updated: 9/02/2012 16:44   PA

Nine members of an al Qaeda-inspired terror group that plotted to bomb the London Stock Exchange and build a terrorist training camp were jailed on Thursday.

Three of the Islamist extremists, who planned to raise funds for the camp in Pakistan and recruit Britons to attend it, received indeterminate sentences for public protection at London's Woolwich Crown Court.

Mohammed Shahjahan 27, was jailed for a minimum term of eight years and 10 months, while fellow Stoke-on-Trent-based radicals Usman Khan, 20, and Nazam Hussain, 26, were ordered to serve at least eight years behind bars.

The court heard that the trio planned to establish the terrorist camp on land in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir owned by Khan's family and encourage a "significant" number of British Muslims to undergo training there.

Khan and Hussain planned to travel to the camp and receive military instruction themselves before "obtaining first-hand terrorist experience in Kashmir", the hearing was told.

Passing sentence, the judge, Mr Justice Wilkie, said this was a "serious, long-term venture in terrorism" that could also have resulted in atrocities in Britain.

He noted: "It was envisaged by them all that ultimately they and the other recruits may return to the UK as trained and experienced terrorists available to perform terrorist attacks in this country, on one possibility contemplated in the context of the return of British troops from Afghanistan."

The Stoke extremists also talked about setting off pipe bombs in the toilets of pubs in their home town, the court heard.

The judge said they were "more serious jihadists" than their fellow defendants and observed that father-of-two Shahjahan was regarded as the "emir", or leader, of the whole group.

The four fundamentalists who plotted to plant a pipe bomb in the toilets of the London Stock Exchange all received extended sentences, meaning they will have to spend an extra five years on licence after they are freed from prison.

Mr Justice Wilkie jailed Abdul Miah, 25, from Cardiff, for 16 years and 10 months, noting that he was the leader of a branch of the terrorist network and set the agenda "by virtue of his maturity, criminal nous, experience and personality".

His brother, Gurukanth Desai, 30, from Cardiff, and Shah Rahman, 28, from east London, were jailed for 12 years, and Mohammed Chowdhury, 22, from east London, who was described as the "lynchpin" of the group, was sentenced to 13 years and eight months.

He spoke about carrying out a "Mumbai-style" attack at the Houses of Parliament or the London Eye, the court heard.

And a hand-written target list found at Chowdhury's home listed the names and addresses of London Mayor Boris Johnson, the Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, two rabbis, the American Embassy in London and the Stock Exchange.

Desai and Miah were bugged claiming that fewer than 100,000 Jews died in the Holocaust and talking about how Hitler "had been on the same side as the Muslims" because he understood that "the Jews were dangerous".

The judge noted that Chowdhury was a "compulsive self-publicist", Shah Rahman failed to impress the Cardiff members, Miah was "criminally experienced" but repeatedly failed to conceal his wrongdoing, and Desai was "very much subordinate" to his brother.

Omar Latif, 28, from Cardiff, was jailed for 10 years and four months, with an extended period on licence of another five years, for attending meetings with the intention of assisting others to prepare or commit acts of terrorism.

The judge said: "By his presence at those meetings he was contributing by encouraging the others to form the intention to commit those terrorist acts and to prepare for them."

Mohibur Rahman, 27, from Stoke-on-Trent, received a five-year prison sentence for possessing two copies of the online al Qaeda magazine Inspire for terrorist purposes.

The men - who are all British citizens apart from Bangladesh-born Chowdhury and Shah Rahman - have spent 408 days on remand and this will be deducted from their sentences.

FOLLOW HUFFPOST UK

Nine members of an al Qaeda-inspired terror group that plotted to bomb the London Stock Exchange and build a terrorist training camp were jailed on Thursday. Three of the Islamist extremists, who p...
Nine members of an al Qaeda-inspired terror group that plotted to bomb the London Stock Exchange and build a terrorist training camp were jailed on Thursday. Three of the Islamist extremists, who p...
Filed by Ned Simons  | 
 
 
  • Comments
  • 108
  • Pending Comments
  • 0
  • View FAQ
Post Comment Preview Comment
To reply to a Comment: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to.
View All
Favorites
Recency  | 
Popularity
Page: 1 2 3 4  Next ›  Last »  (4 total)
09:14 AM on 02/10/2012
Shouldnt these crime against our country by home grown extremists be classed as Treason and when found guilty , shouldnt they be treated as traitors, ie. hung. It suits them to live on our benefits so our laws should be upheld.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
mokgee
Sabu.Satsang, Samsara, Solitude...
08:39 AM on 02/10/2012
I must first apologise to the courts, for me, their sentences would be reduced to pleasure park accomodation..As long as the sentences are not reduced, which I still doubt, can't help it. Then I will say, well done to the return of good old justice. Convince me someone,.....
This comment has been removed.
01:08 AM on 02/10/2012
Great news took 4 of them out of blowing up the stock exchange but what about the other hundreds that will probebly want to plant bombs all around London and the country to destroy the Olympic games. I honestley think that is what they are all waiting for, what a tryumph that would be for Islam and all the fanatics that have been allowed to stay in this country. Camoran you will have a lot of explaining to do if THAT happens just because you don't have the backbone to deport them.God (our God) forbid it doesn't happen for your sake Dave.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
06:20 AM on 02/10/2012
As long as the stock exchange isnt touched..everythings fine,
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
mokgee
Sabu.Satsang, Samsara, Solitude...
08:36 AM on 02/10/2012
Right on barnsley born, supposedly there is nothing in there to blow up...
11:53 PM on 02/09/2012
I am leaving this country and moving to the USA where there is little tolerance for muslims. Although other religions are tolerated there is a distain for muslims as soon as you enter the country. Me and my family will enjoy living in a country where hard work is rewarded and muslims are demonised. I just feel sorry for all the hard working British people that will have to co exist with such barbaric people. It is very hard to get into the USA unless you have a substatial amount of money to invest, so i don't envisage that too many muslims will be allowed or tolerated in the USA.
For poeple that think that there is growing islamphobia, that is a true comment, but we need to look at the reasons and all the reasons will be explained.. just google maldivian apostates and all the answers will be revealed.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
05:52 AM on 02/10/2012
Im staying,itl change one day.i want to witness that.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
ideaville
I have sexdaily, I mean dyslexia, Danm!
10:59 AM on 02/10/2012
I'm with you! Great Britain is still the greatest country on earth, in spite of some new arrivals trying to spoil it.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
07:40 AM on 02/10/2012
Sir, you are welcome with open arms. Just don't move to Michigan, Detroit especially. It's unfortunate the amount of individuals we do let in, however working for Customs and Border Protection as an Agent, I can tell you a lot of the PC red-tape has been cut. Additionally, there was a b*mb headed towards where I work now, but a BRITISH customs team intercepted it in London, and it never made it here. LORD knows what would have happened if we had opened it up and inspected it. So GOD SAVE THE KING, on that one.
11:27 PM on 02/09/2012
To quote Joni Mitchell in Big yelow taxi.."You don't what you've lost 'til it's gone." This is I fear where we're heading. The UK was once a 'bastion' of fair play and 'live and let live', but it's now being and has been abused to breaking point. It is all but lost. My fear - previously expressed here - is that the UK is and will continue lurching iinto lawlessness - a la the riots and looting of last summer. This will almost certainly drive us to 'right' politically. At the same time the birth rate among muslims is over double that of the indigenous population. Work it out for yourselves...
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
mokgee
Sabu.Satsang, Samsara, Solitude...
08:45 AM on 02/10/2012
They know we are right, probableclean77, they are just terrified of these people who represent nothing but their own beliefs. And yes, indigenous has become a dirty word in Britain..change is coming which will not be pleasant to compare with what we knew..And that in it's self will terrify the apathetic when it arrives....
09:07 AM on 02/10/2012
Hello Mokgee, iit seems to me that change - in even its mildest of forms - seems to terrify just about everyone. I though agree with you that when the changes do start, that they will come at terrifying almost bewildering speed to those unprepared for them. The feelings of helplessness among certain sections of the UK population - see my original post - will cause turmoil I fear.
11:24 PM on 02/09/2012
A minimum of 8 years for some of them. A good hanging for ALL convicted terror suspects would be more appropriate
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
ideaville
I have sexdaily, I mean dyslexia, Danm!
11:15 PM on 02/09/2012
If anyone is in any doubt about the people we are dealing with the Al Jazeera has a programme dedicated to religious advice for muslims, including the acceptable ways to beat your wife, the dangers of allowing female masturbation, and the appropriate age to consummate your marriage.
Although it is acceptable for a muslim man to marry a girl from age 1 upwards, he must wait until she is at least 9 before having sex, but of course you can beat her before that. Are we really happy to see all the progress we have made in the past 500 years overridden?
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
ideaville
I have sexdaily, I mean dyslexia, Danm!
11:08 PM on 02/09/2012
I think these guys had a perfect right to do what they were doing.
( I really don't, but my other posts don't make it through).
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
ideaville
I have sexdaily, I mean dyslexia, Danm!
11:21 PM on 02/09/2012
I apologize to Huffington Post, my comments appear to have made it through.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
ideaville
I have sexdaily, I mean dyslexia, Danm!
11:02 PM on 02/09/2012
At the risk of sounding racist, it is clear to me that Islam is so completely at odds with the British way of life, that I do not want it here. We have allowed people into this country, given them shelter and every conceivable assistance to be comfortable here and they are spitting in our faces. They are using benefits to try and finance our destruction. Will the government do something before we have another atrocity or will the British be marginalised in their own land to a point where we will have to fight for our very existence? Both of my Grandfathers fought for this country, if they were here today, they would wish they hadn't bothered.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
06:11 AM on 02/10/2012
The government must be losing sleep over this,,surely..theres something everyday now..theres a gang roaming rochdale as we speak,attacking white people.....its like their government sponsored,when will somebody say..enough is enough..No wonder the EDL and BNP are doing roaring trade...ID MARCH THROUGH MY TOWN IN PROTEST WITH THE EDL AND IM A GRANDAD OF TWO...
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
mokgee
Sabu.Satsang, Samsara, Solitude...
08:48 AM on 02/10/2012
Again barnsley born, politicians lie because they are terrified to what they have allowed to happen...........
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
LegoPiece
It's all rock n' roll to me.
10:54 PM on 02/09/2012
Religion strikes again!
11:06 PM on 02/09/2012
You mean a "SPECIFIC" religion.....
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
mokgee
Sabu.Satsang, Samsara, Solitude...
10:18 AM on 02/10/2012
Religion has nothing to do with anything, it is the interpretation of the entity which is the problem of both past and present....
10:52 PM on 02/09/2012
These are all good muslim boys why not send them to heaven ?
10:11 PM on 02/09/2012
"The men - who are all British citizens apart from Bangladesh-born Chowdhury and Shah Rahman"

BRITISH!! ..... British can mean anything. Where has our heritage gone? English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh are no more, we are classed as British along with the afore mentioned Scum
01:04 AM on 02/10/2012
as Wellington said ` just because you were born in a stable it does not make you a horse`
these people are not and never will be British
10:10 PM on 02/09/2012
Forget the wars to give us freedom of religion, I would kill for thre right to eat my bacon butty.
The joys of slicing into a Bury black pudding ( with some English mustard)are nothing to the so called 'rights' of a group of religious nutters.
'The Wars of the Pork Scratchings' may even remembered in centuries to come.
Jenkins Ear comes to mind.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
08:28 PM on 02/10/2012
Dont start the pork pie wars off again...Earl.
05:18 PM on 02/11/2012
Never like a lamb to the slaughter, oinking it all the way!
majdf18148
I have nothing to declare but my curiosity
09:33 PM on 02/09/2012
I hate, with a passion, all forms of racism. That ethos is not at odds with my view that uncontrolled immigration is bad for the country, its citizens, the economy, racial intergration and not least for many of the immigrants. It is also consistent with my hatred of those who live in our country, who take the benefits they receive from our taxes, the care and treatment offered by our hospitals, the houses from our local councils and the protection of our judiciary and then plot to bomb and maim us, to terrorise innocent families for an ideology that is based on murder and mayhem that is not found in any of the religious teachings they claim to live by. None of them would survive in their own "cultural" lands regardless ohf where they were born. Like champagne socialists and rich, entrepeneurial communists they are anethema and a blot on the landscape of civilised life as we know it. I have lived amongst muslims in several different countries and for the most part they only want to live in peace, raise their families and get by, just as most of us do. That is why these radical terrorists have to be rooted out, brought before the courts, punished and then deported without any ceremony or publicity.
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
ideaville
I have sexdaily, I mean dyslexia, Danm!
11:19 PM on 02/09/2012
Absolutely correct. Of course racism has many faces, just look at the battle between sunnis and shias, the only time they see eye to eye is when they are killing westerners.