Brum terror trio convicted of rucksack bomb plot

Irfan Naseer, Irfan Khalid and Ashik Ali were convicted at Woolwich Crown Court today of planning to set off up to eight rucksack bombs and other explosives in crowded areas.

Naseer was found guilty of five counts of preparing for terrorist acts between December 2010 and September 2011.

Khalid was convicted of four counts and Ali three counts.

These included planning a bombing campaign, collecting money for terrorism and recruiting others.

Naseer and Khalid travelled to Pakistan for training between 2009 and 2011, with Naseer helping others go as well.

On their return the trio tried to fund the plot by posing as charity collectors for Muslim Aid, conning people into donating money.

Prosecutor Brian Altman told the jury: "The police successfully disrupted a plan to commit an act or acts of terrorism on a scale potentially greater than the London bombings in July 2005, had it been allowed to run its course.

"The defendants were proposing to detonate up to eight rucksack bombs in a suicide attack and/or to detonate bombs on timers in crowded areas in order to cause mass deaths and casualties."

Justice Henriques told the trio that they will all face life in prison when they are sentenced in April or May.