'Terror chief told me to bomb London': British Muslim reveals how al Qaeda leader tried to recruit him

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed urged Muslim convert Abu Omar to carry out the operation at an al Qaeda "brainstorming" summit.

Omar claims Mohammed personally asked him to attack Britain in a suicide mission.

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The aftermath of a bus following the July 7 bomb attack in London

He said he became such close friends with Ramzi Binalshibh, one of Osama bin Laden's henchmen, that he spent a month with him in a Pakistani safe house.

In an interview he also disclosed that he met two other men from London who discussed terror atrocities.

One of them, who was not identified in the interview, planned attacks on civilians in Britain.

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Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the 9/11 terrorists, asked a man from London if he would take part in 'martyrdom' operations in the capital

But the other Londoner, Abdul Makim Khalisadar, is a convicted rapist whose al Qaeda links emerged last month after he was jailed for ten years for attacking a 27-year-old woman in East London.

Omar says "ideas" were written on a white board where plotters also considered plans to blow up the US embassy in Qatar and kill King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

Omar's real name is being kept secret because of the risk of revenge attacks by fanatics.

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Ramzi Binalshibh, the al Qaeda leader who befriended Abu Omar

Kuwaiti-born Mohammed, described by the US as "one of the most infamous terrorists in history", is one of six men facing trial by an American military tribunal over the September 11 attacks.

The suicide bombing request was made in his private office at an al Qaeda safe house in Karachi.

Omar and fellow Londoner Khalisadar were staying there after fleeing the front line of the Afghan war.

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Kazi Rahman wanted to buy Uzis and rocket-propelled grenades

Omar also revealed how Binalshibh urged him to carry out terrorist operations in Britain during a month of travelling together across Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Binalshibh, a Yemeni, is also facing trial over 9/11 and was allegedly only prevented from being on board one of the four passenger jets after failing to obtain a US visa.

The disclosures came during an interview carried out with Omar at a London hotel.

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The Twin Towers after being attacked on September 11

He described how he went to Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11 after converting to Islam and found himself alongside some of the world's most notorious terrorists.

July 7 bomb attacks in London

His journey was originally prompted by a desire to improve his knowledge of Islam by living under Taliban rule.

Omar's clearest insight into Mohammed's aims came, however, when he was asked to go to his office to discuss carrying out terror attacks on his return to London.

"He called me into his private room and asked me if I would be interested in doing a martyrdom operation," Omar told the London Evening Standard.

"I just laughed and said there was no way that I could do that so he said I could go."

Omar added: "Someone had mentioned that he was number three or four in al Qaeda, but I didn't really know that he was such a major figure.

"He didn't get too involved with us personally - he just used to come and go and talk to Binalshibh, who spoke English quite well and was the main person who spoke to us.

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The inside of a Tube train following the July 7 bombing in London

"The understanding I had was that the people they wanted to go after were Army officers and other people involved in conflict, rather than innocent civilians, because that might harm the jihad."

Omar was raised as a Christian then drifted into crime and drug dealing before converting to Islam in 2000. He says he has now turned his back on violent extremism.