01.02.2012
On Wednesday, four British men have pleaded guilty to involvement in plotting to bomb the London Stock Exchange as part of a series of al Qaeda-inspired attacks across London leading up to Christmas 2010. In total, a group of nine men, fuelled by radical Islamic thought, were brought together through radical Islamist groups and developed the plans to attack the stock exchange and other high-profile targets, such as Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, London Eye, and the US Embassy. However, British authorities had learned of the plot and put the men under surveillance. They were arrested in raids in December 2010. Initially, they had denied all charges.
The four men who pleaded guilty emphasised that they had not planned to kill anyone, but only to cause terror and economic harm and disruption. They could now face a prison-sentence of up to 18 years, with actual time in jail of around 6 years. They will be sentenced next week.
