Home-grown terrorists who plotted to blow up Territorial Army base with bomb mounted on a remote control car jailed for 44 years

Four extremists from Luton plotted attack on military building with toy car



Two ringleaders get up to 16 years and accomplices get around 6 years

One arranged jihad trips to Pakistan through contact 'Modern Sleeve'

Another was seen training with military exercises in Welsh mountains

Inspired by magazine article, 'Make a bomb in your mum's kitchen'



A terror gang inspired by Al Qaeda was jailed for a total of 44 years yesterday for plotting to blow up a TA base with a bomb strapped to a toy car.

The four-strong cell also discussed attacking MI5, the US Air Force, English Defence League and their local shopping centre.

They took ideas from the Al Qaeda-produced magazine Inspire which is being investigated by police hunting the Boston Marathon bombers.

Jailed: Zahid Iqbal, left, and Mohammed Sharfaraz Ahmed, right, have each been sentenced to at least 11 years and 3 months in prison



Ringleader Zahid Iqbal, 31, and his cohorts downloaded and read the instructions on using household items to make bombs only four days before concocting the model car plan.

Iqbal, a married father of two, helped jihadists go to Pakistan for terror training through an Al Qaeda contact dubbed ‘Modern Sleeve’ by security forces.



Agents bugged his car and overheard him suggest driving a remote-controlled car rigged with explosives under the gates of the Territorial Army base in Luton.

The men’s homes in the town were raided days before the tenth anniversary of the Al Qaeda terror attacks of September 2001.



After being arrested last April in a major operation by the police and security services, they admitted a joint charge of preparing for terrorism.

Mr Justice Wilkie QC jailed Iqbal and Mohammed Sharfaraz Ahmed, 25, for 16 years and three months each. Umar Arshad, 24, was sentenced to six years and nine months, and Syed Hussain, 22, to five years and three months.

The four men showed little emotion as they were led from the dock at Woolwich Crown Court in south-east London.

The judge said Iqbal and Ahmed should serve at least 11 years and three months, more than half their sentences, before being considered for release because they posed a significant danger to the public.

Accomplices: Umar Arshad, left, and Syed Farhan Hussain were also involved with the terror plot



Despite claims to have rejected violent extremism, both had downloaded and stored terrorist literature even when they knew they were being watched, he added.

Mr Justice Wilkie said: ‘After their houses had been searched, and they were obviously under serious suspicion, they continued to access material consistent with the mindset which informed their previous preparatory activities.



'It persuades me that they continue to be dangerous to such a degree that I should exercise my discretion to pass an extended sentence.

‘There is a persistent commitment to terrorist activities in a number of different ways over a significant period of time.

‘There was a willingness to take particular steps to obtain terrorist training abroad, which marks them as particularly dangerous.

‘Each of the defendants had access to and did access many documents espousing violent Jihad.



'Included in those documents was a publication known as Inspire, a periodical produced by Al Qaeda.’

Target: This Territorial Army base in Luton was the subject of their terror plans

In the raids on their homes, police seized a huge hoard of extremist literature, 14 laptops, other electronic storage devices and more than 150 mobile phones.

Books they found included 39 Ways To Support Jihad, 21 Techniques Of Silent Killing and The Explosives Course 2.

Iqbal originally planned to send extremists abroad but turned to UK targets after losing contact with his handler in Pakistan.



Ahmed led several military-style training trips to Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons.



He and fellow extremists were spotted marching and jogging in formation while using logs as mock weapons.

Ahmed suggested bungee jumping, sky diving, horse riding, and paragliding as ‘good jihad training’ to overcome his fear of heights, the court heard.

Trial: The jail sentences were announced at Woolwich Crown Court in South-East London

After the case, Stuart Osborne, head of Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism unit, said the sentences will ensure ‘the public are safer’.

He added: ‘More than one travelled to Pakistan to carry out terrorist training.



'They took advantage of practical information from Inspire and other terrorist publications which have the ultimate aim of encouraging attacks.

‘The actions and intentions of these men starkly demonstrate what we have repeatedly said – that terrorists live among us while they carry out their plans.’