Terror police 'found 9/11 speech'

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A speech by al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was found at a London flat used by the alleged 21 July plotters to make rucksack bombs, a court has heard.

The November 2004 speech addressed the American people on the "causes" of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US.

Police also told Woolwich Crown Court dozens of bottles of hydrogen peroxide were found at the tower block flat in New Southgate, north London.

Yassin Omar, who lived at the flat, and five others deny conspiracy to murder.

All six men - Hussein Osman, Ramzi Mohammed, Adel Yahya, Muktar Ibrahim, Manfo Asiedu and Mr Omar - also deny a charge of conspiracy to cause explosions.

Mr Omar's fingerprints, and those of several of the other defendants, were found on the boxes and bottles of peroxide recovered from the flat, exhibits officer Detective Constable Malcolm Wilson said.

A printed transcript of the Bin Laden speech - which had been sent to Arab TV station al-Jazeera - was found in a cupboard, the jury was told.

Officers were also said to have removed a flyer for a demonstration held soon after 9/11 to show "solidarity for Muslims in Palestine and respect for the martyrs".

A video of BBC coverage of the 7 July 2005 London bombings and newspaper cuttings related to the 21 July events were also said to have been recovered.

Fliers

Police raided the flat four days after the men allegedly tried to carry out a series of suicide bombings on London's transport network.

They also recovered a rucksack and a brown, long sleeve v-neck T-shirt with a hole in the lower back.

Detective Constable Wilson, from Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command, told the court the property was searched for 10 days.

The jury was shown photographs of the flat, including one of "apparent corrosion" on the control panel of the cooker in the kitchen.

Another showed the residue of a yellow-coloured substance on the shelf of a furniture unit.

The court heard among the other items found in the flat were a flier criticising Pakistan for "declaring war on Islam by siding with America's war on terror" and a video tape on religion that "discussed the hatred of Shia Muslims, Hindus, Russians and Jews".

Nigel Sweeney QC, for the prosecution, reading police notes, said a document was found in the bathroom called Algeria - Travesty Of Truth, and a VHS cassette in the living room entitled Caravan Of Martyrs.

Other videos in the room included one called Islam - The Only Solution To World Peace.

An untitled tape, described as a "homemade cassette including speeches made by Osama bin Laden and images of a suicide bomber attacking the US barracks in Saudi Arabia", was also there, Mr Sweeney said.

CD-roms found allegedly included a course on jihad "including the virtues of injury for the sake of Allah" and another of The 19 Martyrs which was "the last will/message of those who attacked America on 9/11" the QC added.

The trial was adjourned until Thursday.

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