Nine deny terror attack plot

Nine men have denied plotting terror attacks on major London targets.

The potential targets are understood to have included the Stock Exchange, the Houses of Parliament and the US embassy, as well as religious and political figures.

The suspects, aged between 20 and 29, from Cardiff, London and Stoke-on-Trent, were arrested following a series of dawn raids by counter-terrorism officers on December 21 last year.

Today at London's Woolwich Crown Court, they pleaded not guilty to conspiring to cause explosions likely to endanger life or damage property between November 1 and December 21.

They also denied the allegation that they were preparing for acts of terrorism between the same dates.

They are accused of agreeing on targets, discussing materials and methods, carrying out reconnaissance work, attending operational meetings and downloading and researching files "containing practical instruction for a terrorist attack".

Five of the men are also accused of possession of a document "containing information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing for an act of terrorism".

The defendants from Cardiff are Gurukanth Desai, 29, of Albert Street, Omar Sharif Latif, 27, of Neville Street, and Abdul Malik Miah, 25, of Ninian Park Road.

The defendants from London are Mohammed Moksudur Rahman Chowdhury, 21, of Stanliff House, Tower Hamlets, and Shah Mohammed Lutfar Rahman, 29, of St Bernard's Road, Newham, both east London.

The defendants from Stoke-on-Trent are Nazam Hussain, 26, of Grove Street, Usman Khan, 20, of Persia Walk, Mohibur Rahman, 27, of North Road, and Abdul Mohammed Shahjahan, 27, of Burmarsh Walk.

Chowdhury, Mohibur Rahman, Miah and Shah Rahman are each accused of being in possession of two editions of the al Qaida magazine Inspire and a document titled "39 ways to serve and participate in jihad".

It is alleged Latif was in possession of the same document and Desai had the spring and summer editions of the magazine on December 20 last year.

The men are due to stand trial on January 23.

PA