- Two Muslim men suspected of conspiring to attack Downing Street with a bomb
- Investigators suspect the plan was to detonate a bomb disguised as a bag
- Security services fear attacker then planned to run in with knife to launch attack
- Alleged conspiracy foiled after operation by police in London and Birmingham
Two men charged over an alleged Islamist plot to blow up the gates of Downing Street and assassinate the Prime Minister have indicated they will deny terror charges.
Naa'imur Zakariyah Rahman, 20, and Mohammed Aqib Imran, 21, were driven into Westminster Magistrates' Court in a security van this morning after being charged with planning terror attacks yesterday.
Investigators suspect the pair wanted to detonate a bomb hidden in a bag in Whitehall before using a suicide vest, pepper spray and knife to attempt to kill Theresa May.
No formal pleas were entered at a court appearance this morning, but magistrates heard the men intend to deny charges when they are brought before the Old Bailey later this month.
Naa'imur Zakariyah Rahman (left) and Mohammed Aqib Imran are accused of plotting to kill Prime Minister Theresa May after using explosives to get into Downing Street
Security at Downing Street was stepped up this morning after details of the alleged plot emerged yesterday evening.
Rahman, from north London, is accused of planning to bomb Downing Street's security gates and then attack the Prime Minister in the ensuing chaos.
He was allegedly caught with two IEDs when police swooped in west London last week.
He gave his nationality as Bangladeshi-British and appeared in court wearing a grey tracksuit, with long hair this morning.
He has been charged with preparing acts of terrorism and appeared in court alongside Mohammed Aqib Imran, 21, who is accused of trying to join ISIS.
Rahman, from north London, is also charged with assisting Imran in terror planning, while Imran, from south-east Birmingham, is charged with preparing acts of terrorism.
Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot remanded them in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on December 20.
Details of the alleged assassination plot were reportedly given to the Cabinet on Tuesday by head of MI5 Andrew Parker in a briefing in which he revealed that a total of nine Islamist terrorist plots have been thwarted in the UK over the past year.
Mr Parker's Cabinet briefing came on the same day that a review of a string of UK terror attacks earlier this year revealed that the Manchester Arena bomber was known to MI5 and his attack, in which 22 people died, might have been stopped 'had the cards fallen differently'.
The alleged conspiracy was foiled after a joint operation by Scotland Yard, West Midlands Police and MI5. Security chiefs stepped in amid fears the men were preparing to launch an attack, arresting them at gunpoint.
The alleged plot highlights the extreme threat still faced by the UK in a year blighted by terrorist atrocities which claimed 36 lives.
The security service and police have thwarted 22 terrorist plots in the past four years and there are more than 500 live investigations ongoing.
Police chiefs are struggling to handle more than 3,000 subjects of interest, along with a growing pool of more than 20,000 individuals identified during terrorist inquiries.
The festive season has seen some events, particularly Christmas markets and high-profile events, taking extreme precautions. Police fear a lone-wolf extremist could mount a 'copycat' attack similar to that on Berlin's Breitscheidplatz Christmas market last year.
The head of MI5, Andrew Parker, yesterday briefed Cabinet ministers on the unprecedented terrorist threat facing the country.
Mr Parker has said the threat facing the UK was at the 'highest tempo' seen in his 34-year career.
The Prime Minister's spokesman said: 'Mr Parker said that nine terrorist attacks had been prevented in the past year. There have been five attacks that got through, four of which are related to Islamist terrorism.' Mrs May thanked Mr Parker and MI5 for their 'tireless work' tackling terrorism.
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