Five given life for fertiliser bomb plot

Five British Muslims have been sentenced to life at the Old Bailey for plotting to use chemical fertiliser to bomb targets in Britain.

Omar Khyam, 25, Anthony Garcia, 25, and Waheed Mahmood, 35, were told they would serve at least 20 years of a life sentence, while Salahuddin Amin, 32, and Jawad Akbar, 23 would have to serve a minimum of 17.5 years of their life sentences.

The judge, Sir Michael Astill, also imposed concurrent eight-year sentences on those convicted of possessing the ammonium nitrate and aluminium powder.

Sir Michael warned the defendants that it was by no means guaranteed that they would ever leave prison. He said: "It may be that some or all of you will never be released and there must be no misunderstanding about it."

When passing sentence he told the terror plotters: "You have betrayed this country that has given you every opportunity."

The gang planned to use 1,300lb of ammonium nitrate fertiliser to make explosives to be used in attacks on a range of targets including the Ministry of Sound nightclub and Bluewater shopping centre in Kent.

The Old Bailey heard that the planned bombings were to be revenge for Britain's support for the US in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

Ringleader Khyam of Crawley, West Sussex, who boasted of working for the "number three in al-Qaeda", was found guilty of conspiracy to cause explosions made from chemical fertiliser which would endanger life.

Garcia, of Barkingside, east London; Jawad Akbar, from Crawley, West Sussex; Waheed Mahmood, also from Crawley, West Sussex and Salahuddin Amin, of Luton, Bedfordshire were all also found guilty by the jury of conspiracy to cause explosions likely to endanger life.

Nabeel Hussain, 22, of Horley, Surrey and Khyam's brother Shujah Mahmood were cleared of conspiracy to cause explosions.

Khyam and Garcia were also found guilty of possession of 600kg of ammonium nitrate fertiliser for terrorism, but Hussain was cleared.

Khyam was also found guilty of possession of aluminium powder for terrorism but Shujah Mahmood was found not guilty.

The convictions were immediately followed by revelations about the terror cell's links to the July 7 bombers.

Mohammed Sidique Khan, the ringleader of 7/7 was a close associate of Khyam when he was one of Britain's top terror targets and in the final stages of plotting the fertiliser bomb campaign.

Khyam also met another of the July 7 bombers, Shehzad Tanweer.

Despite this, both Khan and Tanweer were dismissed as peripheral figures by the police and MI5 and not fully investigated. Within 16 months they led a wave of suicide bombings in London that killed 52 innocent people.

Politicians, grieving relatives and survivors of the blasts all called for an independent inquiry into the failings that allowed the July 7 cell to slip through the net.

The fertiliser plot was one of the biggest terrorist conspiracies ever foiled by the police and security services in Britain, while the investigation into it was, at the time, the largest anti-terrorism operation ever mounted.

Home Secretary John Reid said five "dangerous" terrorists were now behind bars and paid tribute to police and MI5.

But he added: "It is important to remember that 100 per cent commitment can never guarantee 100 per cent success."

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.