'Wycombe man bought flat for bomb factory'

12:38pm Monday 14th April 2008

A HIGH Wycombe man bought a flat in London that was to be used as a 'bomb factory' in a plot to blow up transatlantic flights, a court heard today.

Assad Ali Sarwar, 27, of Walton Drive, Totteridge paid £138,000 in cash for the first floor flat in Forest Road, Walthomstow, East London, on July 20.

Sarwar, and Umar Islam, 29, formerly of High Wycombe, are among eight defendants on trial for conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to endanger life on board aircraft.

Today at Woolwich Crown Court, prosecutor Peter Wright, QC, said: "This property, on a busy road in a residential area, was ideally suited to their needs.

"Only days after the property was purchased it had been transformed into a bomb factory."

He added that paraphernalia for making home-made bombs, including empty Oasis and Lucozade bottles, were found in kitchen cupboards, as well as disposable cameras, syringes, food dye and latex gloves. The fingerprints of several defendants were found on numerous items.

He said that an Islamic flag, a Sony camera manual and a mattress believed to be used to make suicide videos were also found in the bedroom.

Jurors were shown surveillance videos of the defendants entering and leaving the property. They also heard that an audio probe hidden there overheard Sarwar and Islam allegedly discussing plans referring to bomb-making ingredients, airport terminals and the principles of jihad.

Mr Wright added that Islam talked about bringing his wife and children on the flight which was to be his suicide mission.

The prosecution also revealed that several defendants had been in the process of renewing their passports when they were arrested.

Mr Wright said that Tanvir Hussain, Ahmed Abdullah Ali and Ibrahim Savant had claimed to have lost their passports in order to obtain new ones which would not contain stamps showing they had recently visited Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Savant's new photo was said to make him appear more westernised, the court was told.

The trial continues.

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