The plotters of the July 21, 2005, London explosions changed tactics after seeing the impact of the July 7, 2005 suicide attacks on the government and the country, the alleged ringleader told a court on Monday.
Muktar Said Ibrahim, 29, who said he made the backpack devices that failed to go off on the London transport system nearly two years ago, told a jury his motive had been to protest Britain's role in the Iraq war.
He said the initial plan was to leave the explosive devices, made of hydrogen peroxide and chapati flour, unattended in a public place to cause disruption. He said he did not plan for them to explode.
But upon witnessing the effects of the July 7 attacks, he told his co-accused, Yassin Omar, that they were going to change their plans with days to go. He said he had not agreed with the July 7 attacks, which killed 52 innocent people, but saw the impact they had had and decided to adopt a new tactic.
"My aim was to cause maximum disruption, to cause maximum publicity and get maximum debate about the war in Iraq, so I thought this is the right time to put pressure on the government by making a fake suicide mission but without killing innocent people," he said.
His friend Omar agreed, and they recruited two other acquaintances, Hussain Osman and Ramzi Mohammed.
Ibrahim denied visiting Pakistan to attend a military training camp in late 2004, but said that he traveled to the country for a holiday. On his return in the spring of 2005 he began to formulate the plan to demonstrate against the "occupation" of Iraq and Afghanistan.
He read a letter on an Islamic Web site about an Iraqi woman who said she had been repeatedly raped by her captors at the Abu Ghraib jail in Baghdad; it had further concentrated his mind on the need to take "positive action."
Initially, he had discussed using a firecracker or firework in the devices, but having seen a video on bomb-making on a Web site called Tajdeed he had the idea of making "fake" bombs using hydrogen peroxide, Ibrahim said.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
RSS