Bomber joked about his death

Nathan Rees,Pa
Tuesday 29 April 2008 00:00 BST

*More home video footage of the July 7 bombings ringleader Mohammed Siddique Khan with his baby daughter was shown to a court yesterday for the first time.

The recording shows Khan in front of a fireplace talking with his wife, who is filming him, about the perils of travelling.

The scenes were shot the day before he flew to Pakistan in November 2004 to "fight jihad".

During the discussion Khan says he has less than 24 hours before he goes while holding his daughter Maryam and at one point lifting her aloft in the air then kissing her.

The video was today played to Kingston Crown Court where three men are standing trial accused of helping plan the 2005 attacks on the London transport network.

In the brief clip Khan's wife, Hasina Patel, can be heard saying she had told her mother that there was no point thinking that "something was going to happen to him".

The couple jokingly talk about which member of their family could die first. Hasina tells her husband she "could drop dead first" before he might ring to say he was all right and was coming back.

The jury had earlier been told that Khan travelled to Pakistan with fellow bomber Shezhad Tanweer on November 18 2004 with the intention of fighting in Afghanistan.

In fact there was a "change of plan" during the trip and Khan returned to the UK where he masterminded the July 7 attacks which killed 52 people.

The jury was last week shown a "farewell message" from Khan to his daughter which included the Edgware Road bomber cradling his daughter and softly telling her what he is doing is "for the sake of Islam".

Further footage, not shown to the court, contains Khan telling his daughter "learn to fight - fighting is good".

In another clip, shot in October 2004, Khan is seen introducing his daughter to her "uncles" - fellow bombers Shezhad Tanweer and Hasib Hussain and defendant Waheed Ali.

The recordings were among a variety of items given by Khan's wife to a friend, Faiza Rehman, who handed it to police in the aftermath of the July 7 attacks.

Ali, 24, from Tower Hamlets, east London, Mohammed Shakil, 31, and Sadeer Saleem, 27, both from Beeston, Leeds, are accused of conspiring with Khan, Tanweer, Hussain and Jermaine Lindsay and others unknown to cause explosions between November 17 2004 and July 8 2005.

All three are alleged to have carried out a two-day reconnaissance mission in the capital on December 16 and 17 2004 with bombers Hussain and Lindsay where they visited the Natural History Museum, the London Eye and the London Aquarium. The defendants deny the charge. Their trial continues.

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