THREE of the men accused of blowing up transatlantic flights met through an aid charity, a court has heard.

Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 27, from Walthamstow was introduced to Assad Sarwar, from Walton Drive, High Wycombe, and Umar Islam, formerly of High Wycombe, through the Islamic Medical Association.

The three are among eight men standing trial at Woolwich Crown Court accused of plotting to blow up planes leaving Heathrow bound for America and Canada.

Ali is the first of the defendants to take to the witness stand since the trial started in March.

Ali and Sarwar are acccused of being two of the three "ringleaders" behind the plot.

Ali told the court he had met both Sarwar, 28, and Islam, 30, when he went to Pakistan in January 2003 on behalf of IMA to deliver aid to refugees.

He said he had met Islam, formerly Brian Young, in Karachi when he first arrived in the country.

He met Sarwar later on the same trip, in the village of Kuweta, where IMA had an office.

Ali told the court: "I think Assad was there for about two weeks, then he went off to his village. He had done his time. He was due to go back to the UK."

He added he had previously met Sarwar at one of IMA's charity shops in Hackney, London, where he used to help out bagging up clothes before he went to Pakistan.

Nadine Radford QC, for the defence, asked him what it was like working in the refugee camps.

He replied: "It's always the kids out there crying and running round, and the women.

"You're trying to help them, at the same time they're trying to stampede you just to try and get some of the stuff you got.

"It made me feel emotions I haven't felt before."

All eight men deny conspiracy to murder and endanger aircraft. The trial continues.