Britain jails al-Qa'ida plotters for 11 years

Britain's first two convicted al-Qa'ida terrorists were jailed for 11 years each yesterday for plotting to raise funds and recruit members for Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.

Brahim Benmerzouga, 31, and Baghdad Meziane, 38, illegal immigrants from Algeria, made thousands of pounds through a credit card fraud. They supplied military equipment, false travel documents and recruitment material to the organisation, Leicester Crown Court was told.

A jury convicted them of conspiracy to defraud banks and credit card companies and of funding terrorism.

Sentencing them, Mr Justice Curtis said: "You have not directly taken life or seriously injured anyone but the terrorists, in order to carry out their terrible killings and maimings, need money, false papers and military-style materials. You both provided terrorists with the vital support and ran a well-organised and secretive cell."

The men had been living in Leicester and worked in a factory in Corby, Northamptonshire, but secretly acted as a support unit for al-Qa'ida. They used numerous false identities between them, and were part of a network of terrorist cells across Europe.

Benmerzouga had amassed more than 60 films promoting suicide bombings and martyrdom, including 19 copies of a video of Osama bin Laden. Meziane had a book entitled A Biography Of The Freedom Fighter Osama Bin Laden, and material on the attacks of 11 September was found on a computer at his home. Similar material was discovered at the homes of their associates across Europe.

Benmerzouga and Meziane collected the names and credit card details of almost 200 different bank accounts on computer discs and envelopes found littered around their homes and cars.

The cards were sent to associates across Europe, allowing them to amass more than £200,000 for terrorist causes. The pair built up technology used to support terrorists around the world.

Meziane was behind the distribution of false passports and is believed to have supplied a false passport to a suspected al-Qa'ida member before a trip to a training camp in Afghanistan.

He had a forger's kit in his home suitable for forging documents and notes in code on how to lift the plastic from the pages of a passport. Meziane had one false passport in the name of Cyril Jacob, which he used to open bank accounts, get a job and claim benefits. Benmerzouga had three false passports, which he used for similar purposes.

Coded e-mails were found on a computer in his flat, talking of prices for "washed" and "unwashed" clothes, which are thought to have referred to doctored travel visas.

The pair had denied "entering into a funding arrangement for the purposes of terrorism". Benmerzouga admit- ted one charge of conspiracy to defraud by manufacturing or using false bank cards and account details, as well as three charges of possessing false passports.

Meziane, who was seeking asylum in Britain, denied conspiracy to defraud but pleaded guilty to possessing the false passport.