Terror Suspects 'Planned Bigger Attack Than 7/7'

Three men have gone on trial accused of a bomb plot that would have been bigger than the July 7 attacks in London.

Irfan Naseer, 31, Irfan Khalid and Ashik Ali, both 27, were "central figures" in the extremist plot, jurors at Woolwich Crown Court were told.

The prosecution said the trio 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".

The court was told one of the men, who are all from Birmingham, had described the plot as "another 9/11".

They were arrested in September 2011 as part of Operation Examine, led by the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit.

Naseer and Khalid were said to have travelled to Pakistan for terror training, while all three had listened to internet sermons read by the jihadist Anwar al Awlaki.

He was killed in a drone strike 12 days after their arrest.

As part of the operation police planted bugging devices in one of their homes and in two cars they used.

The court was told one of the gang was heard to say the July 7 bombers had not caused enough damage because "they hadn't attached nails to their bombs".

All three men deny a total of 12 terror-related charges.

In total, 11 men of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin and one woman were arrested over the alleged plot.

The prosecution said the three defendants were "jihadists" and "senior members of a home-grown terror cell".

It is also alleged they made bogus charity collections in Birmingham for Muslim Aid and sent four other local men to Pakistan to receive terrorist training,

They are further accused of persuading another two men to join the plot rather than fight abroad.

The trial is expected to last up to 12 weeks.