London Terror Suspect Has 9/11 Praise on Computer

Police found an article hailing the September 11 attacks as "courageous and momentous" on a computer belonging to a man accused of helping the July 7 London bombers, a court was told today.

Jurors at Kingston crown court were read the entire 13 pages of the article, which described the attacks as "the single most courageous and momentous act of modern history" and praised the "lions" who carried them out.

Prosecutors said the material was found on a PC belonging to Mohammed Shakil.

The 31-year-old, from Beeston, in Leeds, is accused - along with Sadeer Saleem, 27, also from Beeston, and 24-year-old Waheed Ali, from east London - of conspiring with the four July 7 suicide bombers.

Last week, the court was told that the accused joined two of the bombers, Hasib Hussain and Jermaine Lindsay, on a reconnaissance mission to the capital in late 2004, during which they allegedly surveyed possible targets.

The article about September 11 appeared on an Islamist website and was found on Shakil's computer, which was seized by police from his parents' home, the jury heard.

The author, claimed to be an Afghan called Muadh bin Abdullah al-Madani, wrote that "on a historic sunny September morning in 2001, a few men, armed with little more than their faith, brought the greatest modern military might to her knees".

His article begins with an imaginary recounting of the actions of the hijackers on board the first plane to strike that day, American Airlines flight 11, saying they were "eager for paradise".

"Without a glance, you rise from your seat and dart to the cockpit. Securing control of the plane, you set your sights on your target," it says.

"As the building approaches, you look about you at the faces of your brothers in arms and all you see is the blazing light shining off their faces."

The article goes on to call September 11 the "defining moment in the battle between those who wish to destroy Islam and those who wish to make the name of Allah most high".

The court was told that an interview with Ayman al-Zawahri, al-Qaida's second in command, and a video showing men with rifles and explosive devices were among other items found on the computer.