Suspects' videos shown at transatlantic terror trial

9:44am Tuesday 15th April 2008

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JURORS have been shown five alleged "suicide videos" police say were found in the house of a High Wycombe man.

About an hour's worth of footage was found on a video cassette in Assad Sarwar's garage at the rear of his home in Walton Drive, High Wycombe, Woolwich Magistrates was told.

Excerpts from the videos include warnings to "expect floods of martyrdom operations against you" and threats such as "now the time has come for you to be destroyed".

Bomb making equipment was also found at the house, the prosecution alleges, along with information about Britain's gas and electric supply and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

The first video shown was that of Ibrahim Savant. In his 15 minute video he said "I can no longer be pleased with the so called Muslim leaders aligning themselves with the heads of kuffar, Blair and Bush".

He urged Muslims to, "remove yourself from the grasp of the kuffar", and " awake to the cause of jihad and defend your Muslim brotherhood".

All five videos ended with a voice off-camera asking them similar questions about whether they had been "brainwashed", whether they considered Jihad victims to be "innocent" and the duty of other Muslims.

The voice asks Savant "what do you have to say about the so called innocent men that will be killed in this operation?"

Savant questions what innocence means when citizens support governments who take part in the "degradation of my people".

Tanvir Hussain said it is "an obligation on me to carry out Jihad".

Hussain told the camera "We're not targeting innocent civilians, we are targeting economic, government and military targets."

Asked if he is being brainwashed, Hussain says: "The only thing brainwashing me is your operation, your killing, your slaughtering."

Ahmed Abdullah Ali, who the prosecution alleges is one of the three principal architects of the plot, said he wanted to "teach them a lesson that they will never forget."

He said: "Sheik Osama warned you so many times to leave our lands or you will be destroyed and now the time has come for you to be destroyed."

Like the men in the other videos, Ali makes reference to rape of women in Iraq and Afghanistan and a belief that citizens are culpable of supporting this because they pay taxes.

He said: "Stop meddling in our affairs and we will leave you alone, otherwise expect floods of martyrdom operations against you.

Waheed Zaman describes president George Bush and former Prime Minister Tony Blair as "true sons of satan" and jihad was "the only solution to this current situation".

He said: "As you kill us you will be killed, and as you bomb us you will be bombed."

Finally the jury was shown video of Arafat Khan who said: "I rain upon you such a terror and destruction that you will never feel peace and security."

The DNA profiles of Sarwar, Savant and Ali were found on the cassette box, it is alleged.

Richard Whittam, prosecuting, said plastic bottles containing approximately 20 per cent concentration of hydrogen peroxide were found in the garage.

The prosecution has alleged throughout the trial, which began at the start of the month, that the substance can be used to create an explosive liquid known as HMTD.

Mr Whittam told the court "most significantly" a glass jar containing 18 small bulbs taped together, was found in the garage.

These would be used "as part of the initiator system as part of an improvised electronic device".

The court was also told that a computer memory stick was found in roof insulation in the garage and this had traces of Sarwar's DNA.

The memory stick contained images of Canary Wharf in London, the national grid, power stations and the capital's underground.

There was a list of shops that sold a chemical known as Oxy-Plus, containing 17.5 per cent hydrogen peroxide, one of which was in High Wycombe.

There was also information on Heatherow airport - which the prosecution alleges men would fly from and then set off their bombs - and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986.

There was also an article called "Islamic ruling on the permissibility of self sacrificial operations."

Mr Whittam highlighted one passage, which said "slay the infidels wherever you find them".

The trial has already seen a similar "suicide video" from Umar Islam, formerly of High Wycombe.

All men deny conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to endanger aircraft.

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