EnglishLady
Veteran Expediter
BBC News Dec 27 Last updated at 07:13 ET
Nine men charged with conspiracy to cause explosions in the UK have begun appearing at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.
They are also charged with preparing for terrorism by agreeing potential targets and testing materials.
The men are aged between 19 and 28 and three are from Cardiff, two from east London and four from Stoke-on-Trent.
They were arrested in a series of raids in Birmingham, London, Cardiff and Stoke-on-Trent on 20 December.
Three others arrested at the same time were earlier released without charge.
The raids had been co-ordinated by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit.
Those charged are accused of conspiring on dates between 1 October and 20 November to cause an explosion.
Igniting materials
The accused men have also been charged under 5(1) of the Terrorism Act 2006 of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism on dates between 1 October and 20 December.
They are alleged to have done this by carrying out reconnaissance, agreeing potential targets, downloading and researching materials and igniting and testing incendiary material.
They are also facing a third charge of possessing documents and records containing information likely to be of use to terrorists.
BBC correspondent Jon Brain said the men were appearing before the court in batches.
Mohammed Moksudur Rahman Chowdhury, 20, of Stanliff House, Tower Hamlets, and Shah Mohammed Lutfar Rahman, 28, of St Bernard's Road, Newham have been remanded in custody until the new year.
The men charged from Cardiff are Gurukanth Desai, 28, of Albert Street; Omar Sharif Latif, 26, of Neville Street, and Abdul Malik Miah, 24, of Ninian Park Road. They are appearing in the dock now.
The four charged from Stoke-on-Trent are Nazam Hussain, 25, of Grove Street; Usman Khan, 19, of Persia Walk; Mohibur Rahman, 26, of North Road, and Abul Bosher Mohammed Shahjahan, 26, of Burmarsh Walk.
Our correspondent said the prosecution is outlining the details of the alleged plot but because of legal reasons, these have been kept out of the public domain for now.
Sue Hemming, head of the Crown Prosecution Service Counter Terrorism Division, had said: "I have advised the police that nine men should be charged with conspiracy to cause explosions and with engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism with the intention of either committing acts of terrorism, or assisting another to commit such acts.
"Lawyers from the CPS Counter Terrorism Division have been working with the police on this case from an early stage and were on hand to give advice while the men were interviewed."
Lord Carlile, the independent reviewer of UK counter-terrorism laws, told MPs at the time of the arrests that the allegations were of a "significant" plot.
Two of those released without charge were from Cardiff and one was from London.
Nine men charged with conspiracy to cause explosions in the UK have begun appearing at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.
They are also charged with preparing for terrorism by agreeing potential targets and testing materials.
The men are aged between 19 and 28 and three are from Cardiff, two from east London and four from Stoke-on-Trent.
They were arrested in a series of raids in Birmingham, London, Cardiff and Stoke-on-Trent on 20 December.
Three others arrested at the same time were earlier released without charge.
The raids had been co-ordinated by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit.
Those charged are accused of conspiring on dates between 1 October and 20 November to cause an explosion.
Igniting materials
The accused men have also been charged under 5(1) of the Terrorism Act 2006 of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism on dates between 1 October and 20 December.
They are alleged to have done this by carrying out reconnaissance, agreeing potential targets, downloading and researching materials and igniting and testing incendiary material.
They are also facing a third charge of possessing documents and records containing information likely to be of use to terrorists.
BBC correspondent Jon Brain said the men were appearing before the court in batches.
Mohammed Moksudur Rahman Chowdhury, 20, of Stanliff House, Tower Hamlets, and Shah Mohammed Lutfar Rahman, 28, of St Bernard's Road, Newham have been remanded in custody until the new year.
The men charged from Cardiff are Gurukanth Desai, 28, of Albert Street; Omar Sharif Latif, 26, of Neville Street, and Abdul Malik Miah, 24, of Ninian Park Road. They are appearing in the dock now.
The four charged from Stoke-on-Trent are Nazam Hussain, 25, of Grove Street; Usman Khan, 19, of Persia Walk; Mohibur Rahman, 26, of North Road, and Abul Bosher Mohammed Shahjahan, 26, of Burmarsh Walk.
Our correspondent said the prosecution is outlining the details of the alleged plot but because of legal reasons, these have been kept out of the public domain for now.
Sue Hemming, head of the Crown Prosecution Service Counter Terrorism Division, had said: "I have advised the police that nine men should be charged with conspiracy to cause explosions and with engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism with the intention of either committing acts of terrorism, or assisting another to commit such acts.
"Lawyers from the CPS Counter Terrorism Division have been working with the police on this case from an early stage and were on hand to give advice while the men were interviewed."
Lord Carlile, the independent reviewer of UK counter-terrorism laws, told MPs at the time of the arrests that the allegations were of a "significant" plot.
Two of those released without charge were from Cardiff and one was from London.