Bombers wait for appeal decision

Mar 7 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

A BID by four men serving life for planning the failed July 21 London bombings to challenge their convictions has “no merit”, the Court of Appeal has heard.

The submission was made by Nigel Sweeney QC, for the Crown, on the second day of a hearing in London.

He was responding to applications for leave to appeal brought by Muktar Said Ibrahim, Yassin Omar, Ramzi Mohammed and Hussain Osman, who all argue that their convictions are unsafe.

Mr Sweeney told Sir Igor Judge, Mr Justice Forbes and Mr Justice Mackay that the prosecution “contends that there is no merit in any of these applications”. At the conclusion of the proceedings yesterday, the judges reserved their ruling to a date to be fixed.

Sir Igor said: “We will take time to consider our judgments.”

The decision would be given as quickly as possible, said the judge, but added that the chances of it being announced before Easter were “pretty remote”.

The four men, who are all serving a minimum of 40 years behind bars, were convicted last July at London’s Woolwich Crown Court of conspiracy to murder.

On July 21, 2005, they had tried to detonate rucksacks laden with explosives on three Underground trains in London.