'Plot was a publicity stunt'

A BRITISH Muslim accused of plotting a transatlantic airline bomb atrocity admitted today purchasing and hiding materials to manufacture an explosive device designed to have the "hallmark of an al Qaeda attack".

Assad Sarwar, 28, insisted the plan, devised with co-defendant Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 27, was intended as a publicity stunt against current foreign policy and did not seek to cause carnage.
Giving evidence in his defence today at Woolwich Crown Court, Sarwar maintained the use of the volatile chemical hydrogen peroxide within the bottle device was to give their protest authenticity.

He told the court how he travelled to Wales in April 2006 and used a false name to purchase hydrogen peroxide from the supplier Health Leads UK.
Airports
Sarwar described how he conducted research on the internet into possible targets for the device, including the Houses of Parliament and Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Birmingham airports.
During a trip to Pakistan between mid June and early July 2006 Sarwar met a contact who informed him how to manufacture a highly-explosive chemical compound called HMTD and he made a note of it.

He said he hid the hydrogen peroxide left in its packaging in King’s Wood, High Wycombe, but later could not locate it.
Sarwar told the court that by July 15, 2006, both he and Ali were keen to progress their plan and continued to purchase materials.
He made a second trip to Wales buying ten litres of hydrogen peroxide at 35 per cent concentration.
However, he discussed with Ali the difficulty of buying specialist equipment which usually supplied laboratories directly.

Sarwar told the court he purchased three voice disguisers.
He said they intended to phone police stating al Qaeda were responsible and planned "to say other devices were planted to cause more panic and alarm to get the most mass media attention."
Eight men are on trial accused on conspiring to murder and to endanger aircraft.
Prosecutors claim the men planned to smuggle improvised liquid bombs disguised as soft drinks on board and detonate them.
They deny the offences.

The defendants are: Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 27, of Walthamstow, east London, Assad Sarwar, 28, of High Wycombe, Bucks; Tanvir Hussain, 27, of Leyton, east London; Mohammed Gulzar, 26, of Barking, east London; Ibrahim Savant, 27, of Stoke Newington, north London; Arafat Waheed Khan, 27, of Walthamstow; Waheed Zaman, 24, of Walthamstow; and Umar Islam, aka Brian Young, 30, of Plaistow, east London.