'Bomb factory' search took weeks

Material recovered from the alleged bomb factory

Police spent two weeks searching through piles of evidence at a suspected terrorist bomb factory, Woolwich Crown Court has been told.

Circuit boards, mobile phones, wiring and batteries were found at the house at Houston, near Glasgow, jurors heard.

Prosecutors say it was used by Dr Bilal Abdulla, 29, and the late Kafeel Ahmed to prepare car bomb attacks in London.

Dr Abdulla, 29, and a third man, Dr Mohammed Asha, 28, deny conspiracy to murder and to cause explosions.

Dr Abdulla and Mr Ahmed are said by the prosecution to have driven a Jeep laden with petrol, gas canisters and nails into Glasgow Airport.

Mr Ahmed later died from severe burns.

Questioning one of the search team, Mark Heywood, prosecuting, said parts of the house showed evidence of intense activity.

The officer, who cannot be named for police operational reasons, said: "Clearly on display were a large number of items which we would class from an evidential perspective as being significant."

Officers smashed down the door of 6 Neuk Crescent, in Houston, on July 1.

Piles of evidence were strewn around the house near Glasgow

The prosecution says the two men used that address to prepare two Mercedes car bombs - then drove them to London's West End on 29 June last year.

But mobile phone detonators in both vehicles failed to ignite gallons of petrol and gas cylinders, the jury was told.

Mr Heywood said four Nokia mobile phones, one with wires coming out of it, were also found at the property.

The unregistered pay-as-you-go models with their numbers written on the back, were similar to those found in the Mercedes.

One table top was covered with wires, circuit boards, bulbs and a soldering iron, the jury was told.

Other items recovered included batteries, plastic gloves, Superglue and plastic syringes, Mr Heywood said.

A coach ticket from Stratford, east London, to Stansted, and a rail ticket from Stoke to Glasgow, both dated 29 June, were also found.

This is part of the route Dr Abdulla and Mr Ahmed took as they returned home to Scotland from the failed London attacks, the prosecution claimed.

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