Five men accused of plotting to blow up trans-Atlantic jets have pleaded guilty to lesser charges but maintain they never planned to destroy airliners.
Three men - Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 27, Assad Sarwar, 28, and Tanvir Hussain, 27 - admitted they planned to set off bombs, just not aboard passenger planes bound from London's Heathrow Airport to North America, a jury was told today.
They and two other defendants - Ibrahim Savant, 27, and Umar Islam, 30 - have also admitted "conspiring to cause a public nuisance" by publishing videos threatening suicide bomb attacks.
Prosecutors say the five, along with three other defendants, wanted to kill hundreds of passengers by detonating bombs concealed in soft drink bottles as their flights crossed the Atlantic Ocean, or passed over North American cities.
Prosecutors say they were close to carrying out their plan when they were arrested in August 2006 and that they created "martyrdom" videos to be shown after the suicide-bombings were carried out.
The men deny the charges. Ali and Sarwar told the court they were assembling the weapons as part of a publicity stunt to promote an anti-Western documentary which would feature the videos.
Ali said he hoped a small, non-fatal, bombing - at Britain's Houses of Parliament, at an oil refinery, or at an airport - would jolt Londoners and draw attention to his movie.
"We did not want to kill or injure anyone," Ali told Woolwich Crown Court in south-east London last month.
He added that he wanted to set off something "that would be considered serious and credible, something to generate that mass media attention".
Jurors still need to rule on whether the eight defendants are guilty of plotting to murder hundreds of people by using their bombs aboard planes. Their trial is drawing to a close.
The unravelling of their alleged plan led to tough new restrictions on the amount of liquids and gels airline passengers could take in their carry on luggage - restrictions which remain in place.
It was not immediately clear when the guilty pleas were made, although the jury was informed of them today. Britain's Crown Prosecution Service did not immediately return a call seeking clarification.