1 May 2013

Guilty plea by bomb plotters

5:53 pm on 1 May 2013

Six men have pleaded guilty to plotting to target a rally held by the English Defence League using guns, knives and a homemade explosive device in an attack they botched by turning up too late.

Five members of the group had planned to attack the group's march though the town of Dewsbury in northern England on 30 June last year. But by the time they arrived, the 450 demonstrators had dispersed.

The men were caught when one of their cars was stopped on a motorway by traffic police concerned at the state of the vehicle.

Various weapons were later including two sawn-off shotguns and an provised explosive device containing 359 nails and 93 ball bearings.

Police and security services had no intelligence about the planned attack, although one of the group was under surveillance in relation to another terror plan.

The BBC reports he was an associate of another group of terrorists, also based in Birmingham, who were jailed last week for planning an attack to rival the 7 July and 9/11 atrocities.

All six changed their pleas from not guilty on Tuesday at Woolwich Crown Court via videolink, admitting preparing an act of terrorism between 1 May and 4 July 2012.

Omar Mohammed Khan, 28, Mohammed Hasseen, 23, Anzal Hussain, 24, Mohammed Saud, 22, Zohaib Ahmed, 22, and Jewel Uddin, 27, will be sentenced on 6 June.

A statement from the Birmingham Coalition of Muslim Organisations and Mosques said:

"The Muslim community in Birmingham wishes to make one thing absolutely clear: These acts are not carried out in our name."