Man admits terror plot to blow up Wall St amid 'dirty bomb' revelation
DAILY MAIL, By BEN TAYLOR and COLIN FERNANDEZ
 http://urlsnip.com/112908

A British Muslim terrorist mastermind faces life in jail after he admitted plotting a radioactive 'dirty bomb' attack in the UK and a string of devastating atrocities in the USA.

Dhiren Barot, 34, planned to kill "as many innocent people as possible" by blowing up some of the world's largest financial institutions including the New York Stock Exchange, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

In the UK, the banker's son - who was brought up in London as a Hindu - plotted to detonate a radioactive bomb and blow up buildings by packing stretch limousines with gas cylinders in underground car parks.

The unprecedented and extraordinary attack was dubbed the 'Gas Limo project' and was designed to cause "injury, fear, terror or chaos" for hundreds of Britons.

Both plots were smashed by Scotland Yard in August 2004 when Barot was arrested in Harlesden, North West London, after a dramatic chase which culminated in him hiding in a barber's shop.

Yesterday a heavily-guarded Barot sat in the glass panelled dock at Woolwich Crown Court, South East London, as he heard the Crown outline how he plotted the wave of attacks.

The clerk of the court said to him: "On count one of this indictment you are charged with conspiracy to murder.

"The particulars of the offence being that on diverse days between January 1 2000 and August 4 2004, you conspired together with other persons unknown to murder other persons.

"Do you plead guilty or not guilty?"

Barot, wearing a khaki-coloured zip-up jumper and black shirt and sporting a short beard, said calmly: "I plead guilty." and made notes on his laptop computer throughout the hearing.

Outlining the basis of plea, Edmund Lawson, QC, said that the conspiracy against the US buildings included attacks on the Washington-based World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the New York Stock Exchange and two financial institutions: the Citigroup and Prudential buildings.

The idea, said Mr Lawson, was to carry out bombings "with no warning".

He added: "They were plainly designed to carry out explosions designed to kill as many innocent people as possible."

Detailing the planned UK attacks, Mr Lawson described "the gas limo project".

"That was... the main cornerstone or main target of a series of planned attacks involved packing three limousines with gas cylinders, explosives and the like, detonating them in underground car parks," he said.

The limo project was to be supported by 'three other projects' the court heard; "a number of further collateral objectives to cause injury, fear, terror or chaos".

The court heard how Barot sketched out details for a "radioactive dirty bomb project".

Mr Lawson added: "The defendant expressed the preference in respect of the radiation project was that it deserved to be an independent project in its own right.

"The radiation dirty bomb project was not intended to kill but rather to carry out the objectives I referred to:, injury, fear, terror and chaos

"The radiation project was designed among other things to affect some 500 people."

Barot, who was raised a Hindu, attended the highly rated Kingsbury High School in the North London suburbs.

His parents, Indian-born Manu Barot, a retired banker and his wife Bharati, arrived in Britain from Kenya in 1973 when their son was just 12 months old. following the imposition of draconian laws barring non-Kenyans working in economically important industries.

The family still live in a £300,000 house in a quiet 1930s cul-de sac.

Barot took exams in English, Maths, French, Graphical Communication, and Typewriting but was rejected from jobs with two High Street banks and left to pursue various menial jobs.

But, by the age of 20, however, he had converted to Islam after a family visit to the disputed territory of Kashmir - the subject of a bitter and bloody battle between India and Pakistan.

Barot also faced 12 other charges: one of conspiracy to commit public nuisance, seven of making a record of information for terrorist purposes and four of possessing a record of information for terrorist purposes.

The judge ordered all these charges to lie on file following his guilty plea to conspiracy to murder.

Mr Justice Butterfield, said that when Barot is sentenced at a later date he "would be the first Muslim terrorist to be sentenced for such a grave offence as conspiracy to murder. It is likely to attract very considerable debate and discussion".

Seven other men are due to face trial next year. Yesterday his mother, a supermarket worker, refused to comment when contacted by the Daily Mail by telephone.

Friends of the family said Barot was a lovely boy who had been brainwashed by extremists.

"He was a really good kid. How can a nice Hindu boy change into a Muslim? I believe he was brainwashed," said a neighbour.

"The family are some of the nicest people you could ever meet and it was a shock to people round here to hear about their son."

Another neighbour said: "The family are lovely and it's such a shock to hear this news because of what nice people they are."

The Barot family home was a few doors away from the childhood home of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts. Watts also attended Kingsbury High School as did pop star George Michael.

Security at court yesterday was so tight that even police officers were forced to undergo checks.