Jihadist suspects on 'fact-finding' London trip

Three men carried out a hostile reconnaissance of targets in London, including the London Eye, the Natural History Museum and the London Aquarium, for the suicide bombers who attacked the capital on 7 July 2005, a court was told yesterday.

One of the men, Mohammed Shakil, travelled to Pakistan with the 7/7 plot ringleader, Mohammad Sidique Khan, and trained at a terrorist camp. The jihadist "factfinding mission" followed a trip in which Waheed Ali, who is also charged with plotting the attacks, had visited Pakistan with Khan, the jury was told.

Mr Shakil, 31, from Leeds, Mr Ali, 24, from east London, and a third man, Sadeer Saleem, 27, also from Leeds, deny conspiring with the bombers.

Neil Flewitt QC told Kingston Crown Court that all three accept they were in London but deny it had anything to do with the bombings. "Rather it is their case that the purpose of their journey was to enable Waheed Ali to visit his sister," he said.

The trial continues.