Four Islamic militants, all British citizens, admitted involvement Wednesday in a conspiracy inspired by Al-Qaida to place a bomb in the toilets of the London Stock Exchange, with the hope that the multistory building would catch fire. Five other men involved in the plot pleaded guilty to lesser charges.
Prosecutors said the plot was foiled by the arrests of the nine men, all with family origins in Bangladesh or Pakistan, in December 2010 at their homes in London; Cardiff , Wales, and the English Midlands town of Stoke-on-Trent. They said the men's plans were discovered after undercover counterterrorism officers tailed them as they surveyed London tourist attractions and tracked their conversations through secret electronic monitoring devices. Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the U.S. Embassy were among the targets scouted or considered by the men, the court was told.
MAN IN UNIFORM KILLS NATO SOLDIER
A NATO soldier was killed Tuesday in the Marjah district of southern Afghanistan's Helmand Province when a man wearing an Afghan army uniform turned his gun on him, the international coalition said .
The nationality of the NATO service member was not specified. A district police chief, Muhammad Nabi Shakir, said the shooting took place inside a military base used mostly by U.S. and Afghan forces.
One report said the gun may have gone off accidentally.
NEWS SERVICES
