Iraqi doctor guilty of terror attacks

A 29 year old Iraqi doctor has been found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court of launching terrorist bomb attacks in mainland Britain.
Bilal Abdullah and his accomplice had attempted to launch attacks in both London and Glasgow. Kafeel Ahmed and Bilal Abdullah had bought second hand cars and DIY supplies to construct their car bombs. Receipts and CCTV footage showed they had visited several B&Q stores and bought nails and other materials. Police believe they bought at least 5 vehicles to launch their attacks which began with London.

On the 29th June 2007 the two men arrived in the West End of London with their bomb laden cars. One was parked directly outside the Tiger Tiger night club while the other was left a short distance away. But both devices failed to explode and the terrorists fled to Scotland where they prepared for the attack on Glasgow airport. But for the two terrorists it went tragically wrong as they crashed their vehicle into the terminal building on the 30th June. As the vehicle became engulfed in flames Kafeel Ahmed himself caught fire and later died from his injuries. Bilal Abdullah survived to face trial and faces a life sentence in prison.

Karen Jones of the CPS said people at the airport and in London were lucky the bombs did not explode properly. She said the men’s intention was to kill and maim as many people as possible. However their incompetence saved many people’s lives. Dr Sidney Alford, an explosives engineer, speaking to the BBC described the terrorists’ bomb making skills as “amateurish” [BBC / CNN]. Another NHS doctor, Mohammed Asha, was cleared of helping the two terrorists.