Jury fails to reach verdict in trial of trio accused of helping 7/7 bombers

Waheed Ali, Sadeer Saleem and Mohammed Shakil were accused of conspiring with the four bombers and others to cause explosions in 2004 and 2005.

But following the three-month trial at Kingston Crown Court, a jury of eight women and four men could not decide on their verdicts and were today discharged.

Accused: Sadeer Saleem, Mohammed Shakil and Waheed Ali

The judge gave them majority directions on Monday, the 11th day of their deliberations, but they still could not agree.

The trio, who are now facing a re-trial in the new year, were remanded in custody following the decision.

The jury had been told that Ali, 25, Saleem, 28, and Shakil, 32, visited a series of locations on December 16 and 17, 2004, which bore a 'striking similarity' to where the bombs were detonated on July 7 the following year.

Suicide bombers Mohammed Siddique Khan, Shezhad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain and Jermaine Lindsay detonated rucksack devices packed with explosives on three Tube trains and a bus killing 52 people and injuring up to a thousand more.

The trial heard that the three defendants travelled from Leeds to London with Hussain, who later detonated his bomb on the No 30 bus in Tavistock Square claiming 13 lives.

There they met Jermaine Lindsay, who killed 26 people on a Piccadilly Line underground train, and the group stayed overnight in a hostel.

The prosecution alleged that the trip was "an essential preparatory step in the plan to bring death and destruction to the heart of the UK".

Massacre: Hasib Hussain killed 13 people on this London bus when he detonated his device on July 7. Another 39 people were killed in three Tube bombs

Detailed 'cell site analysis' of mobile phone use, including calls to the London Tourist Board and various attractions, allowed the group's movements across London to be mapped.

The three defendants admitted making the visit but claimed it was an entirely innocent "social outing" and the purpose was for Ali to visit his sister.

They told the jury they used the opportunity to see some of the capital's landmarks at the same time.

All three defendants were close to July 7 ringleader Khan, who killed six travellers at Edgware Road and right-hand man Tanweer, the Aldgate bomber who murdered seven others.

The court heard they grew up in the same tight-knit Asian community in Beeston and much of their activities centred around the Iqra bookshop in Leeds of which Khan, Tanweer, Saleem and Ali were all trustees.

Between 2001 and the July 7 bombings in 2005 there were a number of trips organised to training camps in Pakistan, the jury were told.

Ali travelled with Khan in 2001, while Shakil joined him on another trip in 2003 where they trained in the use of light machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and AK47 assault rifles.

The jury also saw surveillance footage of Ali with Khan and Tanweer meeting a 'committed terrorist' known as 'Ausman'.

The court heard the four men were monitored by security services when they met on four occasions in early 2004

In November 2004 Khan and Tanweer left the UK expecting to "fight jihad" on the frontline in Afghanistan. Following a change of plan during this trip, the July 7 plot was hatched.

Before he left Khan made a number of home video recordings, including a goodbye message for his baby daughter which was made public for the first time during the trial. In one clip he introduces her to her "uncle" Ali.

Following the trip - Saleem and Ali also flew to Pakistan where they spent weeks at a camp.

After July 7 two addresses in Leeds - 18 Alexandra Grove and 111 Chapeltown Road - were identified as the locations where the majority of the bomb construction and preparation took place.

Traces of Ali's DNA was found on the handle of a small Nike rucksack and on a hat inside it which was recovered from Alexandra Grove.

His fingerprints were also on a chest of drawers inside the second address.

The DNA of Saleem, who is asthmatic, was found on an inhaler and further traces found from a blood stain on a pair of martial arts trousers.

A car key for Shakil's Mitsubishi was also discovered in a carrier bag at the first property.

Ali and Shakil were arrested in March 2007 at Manchester Airport as they were about to board a flight to Pakistan. Saleem was detained at his home hours later.

All three defendants made no secret in court of their support for jihad and defending Muslim lands. But they claimed they did not advocate suicide bombings and had no idea about the July 7 plot.