Bomb equipment 'left in park bin'

A gang who plotted to blow up planes were watched by undercover police as they threw bomb-making equipment in a park bin, prosecutors have said.

Officers found two plastic bags in Lloyd Park, Walthamstow, east London, days before the suspects were arrested.

They contained plastic wires attached to miniature bulbs, with exposed filaments designed to spark liquid bombs, Woolwich Crown Court heard.

Eight men deny conspiring to murder and endangering planes in August 2006.

The men are accused of planning to detonate home-made bombs disguised as soft drinks on several transatlantic flights.

Martyrdom videos

CCTV footage of two defendants showed them buying equipment for their attacks, prosecutors said.

Abdulla Ahmed Ali and Tanvir Hussain were filmed at B&Q, Ikea and Tesco branches in north and east London.

Richard Whittam, prosecuting, said as they inspected bumbags in Tesco, an undercover officer heard Mr Hussain say: "You can fit a bottle of water in."

Mr Whittam said they were seen examining soft drink bottles, "paying particular attention to the caps and seals".

Earlier the court heard how officers recovered bomb-making materials left by the defendants.

Mr Whittam said the plastic bags were found in bins on 31 July 2006.

Other items found in the bags were soft drink bottles, latex gloves, plastic cylinders, needles and parts of a battery.

The park is a short walk from a two-bedroom flat where the gang is alleged to have made the bombs and recorded martyrdom videos.

A third plastic bag was found outside the flat. It contained stained latex gloves, charcoal and rubbish bags.

Mr Whittam said experts found DNA and fingerprints linking Mr Hussain to two of the discarded bags. His DNA was also found on chewing gum and latex gloves recovered from the flat.

Sticky tape

The prosecutor also said the fingerprints of alleged ringleader Abdulla Ahmed Ali and another defendant, Ibrahim Savant, were found on a camcorder instruction book.

And three fibres found on a mattress in a bedroom matched fibres on a black flag used in the videos the gang recorded, the court was told.

Police also found jars full of batteries, wires, sticky tape and food colouring in the property.

The court was also told that Assad Sarwar - the gang's alleged quartermaster - was caught on camera speeding at 85mph on the M4 on 27 April.

The prosecution said he was on his way to a wholesaler to buy hydrogen peroxide for the bombs.

The defendants are Mr Sarwar, 24, of High Wycombe, Bucks, Mr Hussain, 27, of Leyton, east London, and Mr Ali, 27, Waheed Zaman, 23, and Arafat Waheed Khan, 26, all of Walthamstow, east London.

Also charged are Mohammed Gulzar, 26, of Barking, east London, Mr Savant, 27, of Stoke Newington, north London, and Umar Islam, 29, of Plaistow, east London.

The trial continues.