Bin Laden 'inspired bomb plotter'

Umar Islam spoke of revenge in the video, the court heard

Osama Bin Laden was the inspiration for one of the men accused of plotting to blow up planes flying from London to North America, his trial has heard.

In a 19-minute video shown to the jury, Umar Islam, 29, says "Sheikh Osama" has "inspired me personally to follow the true path of the prophet".

The video shows him saying Allah "loves us to die and kill in his path".

He and the seven other men deny conspiring to murder and endangering planes in 2006.

In the video, shown in Woolwich Crown Court, he said: "To Mullah Omar (a Taleban leader) and Sheikh Osama and the brothers, keep on going, keep on remaining firm, but truly you have inspired many of the Muslims and you have inspired me personally to follow the true path of the prophet."

The video was found in the back of a car owned by one of his co-accused, Assad Sarwar, prosecutors said.

This is revenge for the actions of the USA in the Muslim lands and their accomplices such as the British and the Jews Umar Islam video

Five of his co-defendants also recorded suicide videos outlining their hatred of the West and threatening further attacks, prosecutors said.

During the filming of Mr Islam's video, the alleged leader of the gang, Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 27, was asking questions from behind the camera, the court heard.

Mr Islam began the video saying: "This is from Umar Islam, the son of Islam, to the people of the world, to let you know the reasons for this action which Inshallah [God willing] I am going to undertake.

"This is an obligation on me as a Muslim to wage Jihad against the Kuffar (non-believers)."

He said: "This is revenge for the actions of the USA in the Muslim lands and their accomplices such as the British and the Jews.

Second video

"This is a warning to the non-believers that if they do not leave our lands there are many more like us and many more like me ready to strike until the law of Allah is established on this Earth."

During the video, Mr Islam referred to Palestine, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay.

He said Muslims must attack "military targets, economic targets and government targets" and the public must stay away from them.

The jury was told a second video was found on the same cassette, recorded by co-accused Arafat Waheed Khan.

In that four-minute video, Mr Khan accused taxpayers of equipping soldiers to kill Muslims.

The other defendants are: Assad Sarwar, 24, of High Wycombe, Bucks; Tanvir Hussain, 27, of Leyton, east London; Mohammed Gulzar, 26, of Barking, east London; Ibrahim Savant, 27, of Stoke Newington, north London; and Waheed Zaman, 23, of Walthamstow, east London.