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May 25, 2006
UK: Muslims Planned To Blow Up Famous Nightclub
Guardian, the Times and the BBC report that the seven young Muslims currently on trial in the Old Bailey had planned to blow up the famous nightclub, the Ministry of Sound.
This nightclub, founded 15 years ago by Jamie Palumbo, has a capacity for 1,800 people, and is a popular venue, where trance, house, rave, hip-hop and other music forms are played. The popularity of the club has led to a thriving trade in compilation CDs of their featured tracks. When it opened, the Ministry of Sound was London's first "superclub".
In 2004, at a storage depot in West London, 600 kilograms of ammonium nitrate fertiliser had been discovered, and the group of defendants had been arrested shortly afterwards, on 30 March, 2004.
The group had planned to attack nightclubs, trains and power companies. One of the defendants, Waheed Mahmood, aged 34, from Crawley, had been an employee of the electical power company National Grid Transco, and his place of work had apparently been viewed as a potential target for attack.
Today in court, one of the defendants, 22 year old Jawad Akbar, was heard in a surveillance recording discussing potential bombing targets with 24-year old Omar Khayam, the alleged leader of the group. Both lived in Crawley, West Sussex.
The recording was made on Sunday, 22 February, 2004, at Akbar's home at that time in Uxbridge, West London. The pair were initially discussing the use of explosives to detonate utility companies, to cut off essential energy supplies.
Akbar states: "What about easy stuff where you don't need no experience and nothing and you could get a job, yeah, like for example the biggest nightclub in central London where no-one can even turn round and say "oh they were innocent" those slags dancing around?"
Omar Khayam replies: "If you get a job in a bar, yeah, or a club, say the Ministry of Sound, what are you planning to do there then?"
Jawad Akbar: "Blow the whole thing up."
Omar Khayam: "That's what I'm saying."
Jawad Akbar: "I think the club thing you could do, but the gas would be much harder. There's people who even get in with their searching stuff but it's only bouncers that search you."
Omar Khayam: "The explosion in the clubs, yeah, that's fine, bro, that's not a problem. The training for that is available. To get them into the Ministry of Sound really isn't difficult."
Then the two (calling each other "bruv") discussed if their conversation was being bugged. The pair discussed how British security was "crap" and "a joke" on the recording.
The general manager of the Ministry of Sound, Gary Smart, gave evidence in court today. He said that 1.5 million people had attended the venue since it opened.
Smart said: "If the Ministry of Sound was to be subjected to terrorist attack, then it's clear that the consequences could be devastating with such a large number of people in such a confined space. The impact could result in loss of life, injury or structural damage."
We reported on the beginnings of the trial, which commenced on March 21. The individuals currently on trial are depicted below. They are:
Akbar, Khyam, both Mahmoods, Amin, Garcia and Hussain all deny conspiring to cause explosions likely to endanger life between 1 January, 2003 and 31 March, 2004.
Khyam, Garcia and Hussain further deny a charge under the Terrorism Act of possessing ammonium nitrate fertiliser for terrorism. Khyam and Shujah Mahmood deny possessing aluminium powder for terrorism.
Earlier in their trial it was alleged that the group had planned to lay explosives at Bluewater shopping centre in Kent, and one of the defendants, Salahuddin Amin, had in Pakistan heard of a "radio-isotope bomb", and had made efforts to obtain such a device.
All of the defendants except Hussain had attended at least one jihadist training camp in Pakistan, where they learned about explosives and bombs, and they also had contact with Mohammed Babar who is currently in jail in the States. He had set up their training camp, and at one stage, he arrived in court to give evidence at the trial, under strict security.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at May 25, 2006 7:32 PM
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