Ashik Ali, Irfan Khalid and Irfan Naseer (L-R) are seen in undated mugshots provided by the West Midlands Police in Birmingham February 21, 2013. PHOTO: REUTERS
The conspiracy involved at least six of the plotters travelling to Pakistan for terror training, with the eventual aim of setting off eight rucksack bombs in crowded areas and possibly other timed devices.
Ringleader Irfan Naseer received a life sentence, his right-hand man Irfan Khalid was jailed for 18 years and co-conspirator Ashik Ali was jailed for 15 years by a judge at Woolwich Crown Court in southeast London.
Eight other members of the cell which was based in Birmingham, central England, were also sentenced on Friday.
"Your plot had the blessing of al Qaeda and you intended to further the aims of al Qaeda," Judge Richard Henriques said as he sentenced the men.
"The only barrier between (Naseer's) team and mass murder was the intervention of the authorities."
The terror cell was heavily influenced by the teachings of American-born al Qaeda preacher Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed by a drone strike in Yemen in September 2011, police said.
Prosecutors said that the attacks planned by the men would have been the deadliest since the July 7, 2005 London bombings, in which 52 people were killed by three suicide bombers on subway trains and a fourth bomber on a bus.
Khalid meanwhile boasted that the attack would be "another 9/11", referring to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, the trial heard.
The plot was also the most significant terror plan uncovered in Britain since the 2006 plot to blow up transatlantic airliners using bombs in drinks bottles, police said.
The judge said the attacks may have been intended to target Birmingham, although police said the planned location was not clear.
Naseer, a jobless 31-year-old pharmacy graduate nicknamed Chubbs because of his weight, and Khalid and Ali, both 28, were found guilty by a jury in February of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts.
Naseer and Khalid had visited Pakistan to receive terrorism training, while Naseer also helped four others to travel to the country for the same purpose, although the four had second thoughts on arrival in Pakistan and dropped out.
"Irfan Naseer was the leader, driving force and man in charge and he alone must take responsibility for sending four young men to Pakistan for terrorism training," the judge said, handing Naseer a life sentence with a minimum of 18 years.
The group's chief financier Rahin Ahmed, 26, was jailed for 12 years and will serve a minimum of six after pleading guilty to collecting money for terrorism and helping others to travel to Pakistan for terror training.
The group tried to fund their plot by posing as street collectors for a Muslim charity and raised £12,000 – but then lost £9,000 playing foreign currency markets and had to apply for bank loans, the trial heard.
Ashik Ali's older brother Bahader, 29, was sentenced to six years and two other cell members, Mohammed Rizwan, 34, and Mujahid Hussain, 21, were jailed for four years each.
The four group members who travelled to Pakistan for terror training but had second thoughts – Shahid Khan, 21, Khobaib Hussain, 21, Ishaaq Hussain, 21 and Naweed Ali, 25 – were each jailed for 40 months.
The main plotters were arrested while headed for a takeaway meal in September 2011.
In addition to the loss of the money the group showed an amateurish side.
During the surveillance Naseer was heard talking about mixing poison into creams such as Vaseline or Nivea and smearing them on car handles to kill people, and about welding blades to a truck and driving it into people.
Naseer and Khalid were also recorded reminiscing about a time at the training camp in Pakistan when a "Pakistani guy, AQ (al Qaeda) guy" told them to hide under a tree for four hours to avoid a US drone flying overhead.
"Underneath the tree, the drone can't detect you, innit," Naseer said.
"So I'm lying underneath the tree innit, and the drones are right about me bro, and it's going (makes a sound like a drone) and I'm thinking any minute it's going to fire a missile."
COMMENTS (15)
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So I am curious. No Pakistani media is allowed I FATA let alone foreign media and yet these chaps from Britain had no trouble going there for training? What does they say about the intelligence agencies?
Why muslims are suspected everywhere, even in muslim countries? (1) They (mainly Pakistanis) place religion above nationality......Muslim first and everything else later. (2) They rise and fall to the call of an illiterate mullah thousands of miles away. (3) Lack of rational thinking and viewing everything from the prism of religion colors their thinking. (4) They believe in numeric strength and not on quality. Large families, multiple wives, forced conversions can be found only in muslims...... all these have the same purpose......increase numbers. Most converts come from poor, uneducated sections or those with criminal background and violent behavior. They can easily be convinced and their violent behavior would also make them irrational in thinking. In USA, UK, and many other countries, agencies watch recent converts more closely than others. If exceptionally one educated affluent converts, it becomes a big news and achievement for muslims. Muslims know this themselves and this is the reason they make up stories like Neil Armstrong, first man to land on Moon, converting to Islam. Bangladesh does not trust Myanmar muslims and Pakistan does the same to its own stranded in Bangladesh. They both want to avoid potential trouble makers in their countries. Only the West trusts and takes them but muslims are the only ones (and no one else) who constantly complain about the West.
By the way, has the Pakistani government looked into WHO in Pakistan vouched for those British Muslims who came to Pakistan for "terrorist training"??? How would they get into the country without some "sponsor"????
@ashar: Wow, too bad you can look up "9/11 on Wikipedia to see a full discussion, and also look up "9/11 conspiracy theories" on Wikipedia to see all the claims that are debunked! Please tell us who YOU KNOW really did the 9/11 attack, and also tell us if the Holocaust ever happened !!! As for the eleven jailed British Muslims, please tell us how you know that they are innocent!!
Sentence is too little for these young people. Once free after few years and enrolling for welfare, they will have ample time to plan again. Just lock them for ever and throw away keys.
@ashar
Seems to me that these terrorist had a public trial and were judged by their peers who found them guilty. By all accounts there was a mountain of evidence against them - much of it their own words. Your view of 911 is shared by many who ignore mountains of evidence in order to foster their beliefs. However - you won't find a single Engineering College on the planet that questions the 911 report - nor will you find a single professional who demolishes high rise buildings for a living that will tell you that the towers fell as a resort of a controlled demolition. Muslims don't deserve to be labeled as terrorist simply because of their religion -on the other hand Terrorist don't deserve a "free pass" just because you share their religion.
@ashar:
So is for you.. Are you saying the bearded Taliban are not Terrorists? Are you one of those who believe TTP are actually RAW agents in disguise?
If you can say TTP are Terrorists, why not the West?
@3rdRockFromTheSun: @Bubba:
its funny to see that those who creates a mountain of evidence failed to carryout an unbiased investigation of 9/11 and people like us living far away from there accepted there version based on assumptions. even a civil engineer cannot be convinced the way the buildings collapsed since it only happens under organized collapsing of the buildings and you know there were many things more but who can talk about it since it has now made part II of so called holocaust as no body can talk about it.
@ashar
Are you serious? All you could see is the beard and not the evidence! Wake up and smell the coffee.
And one of the other columnists was worried about Islamophobia - with examples like these happenening regularly, can one blame the West if they are wary of Muslims in general?
@Shahid - if their freedom of speech had been curbed; guess who would be at the forefront screaming racism!
@Ashar - the mountains of evidence against them including wiretaps is nothing; but yes, they were convicted because they had beards!
@ashar
Yeah - I am sure it was the "beards" and the hours of tape where they discussed setting the bombs/massacring citizens and training at Pakistani terrorist training camps wasn't important. Rather than blame the West how about placing blame where it belongs - the terrorist.
It seems that for the west, long bearded Muslim = Al Qaida
British have zero tolerance policy for any ant state and terrorist activities. by tolerating such activities under freedom of speech and religious tolerance they only helped this menace to grow to this extent making it out of control every where.