Steve Bird
Get 20% off your bill at Pizza Express

Video footage of the panic when an Islamic terrorist cell said to contain two NHS doctors drove a car bomb into a British airport was shown to a jury yesterday.
Bilal Abdulla and Kafeel Ahmed were said to have shouted “Allahu akbar” – meaning God is great – and hurled petrol bombs as they drove a Jeep packed with gas canisters into Glasgow airport terminal building, Woolwich Crown Court was told.
The closed-circuit television pictures showed it engulfed in flames and billowing black smoke as holidaymakers, many with children, fled. Some of those who had been queueing at check-in desks were trampled in the mayhem on June 30, the airport’s busiest day last year.
Despite being on fire, Ahmed, 28, could be seen punching and kicking police. A passer-by suffered a broken leg and lost a tooth after Dr Abdulla, the 29-year-old passenger, was said to have kicked and punched him.
On the second day of the prosecution case, Jonathan Laidlaw, QC, said: “The Jeep became caught against the side of one of the entrance doors. Kafeel Ahmed then reversed the vehicle. The tyres screeching, he made the first of a number of attempts to crash through the airport doors. He struck the pillars or door frame until the vehicle became trapped. Those who were in the vicinity noticed the driver’s face was set and determined as he stared forward.
“As police officers and members of the public, stunned by what had happened, gathered in an attempt to extinguish the fire, Ahmed, even though he himself was alight, tried to obstruct them by punching and kicking out. CS gas was sprayed at him, and eventually he was kicked to the ground before the fire on him was extinguished. Then he was subdued, handcuffed and arrested.”
Ahmed died in hospital from burns four weeks later.
Dr Abdulla, from Glasgow, was told to step away from the vehicle but tried to run, lashing out at police and civilians trying to stop him. At one point he shouted that there were bombs, the QC said.
Mr Laidlaw said that a draft of Dr Abdulla’s will, addressed to Osama bin Laden, was found on a laptop in the burnt-out Jeep. The doctor wrote that he was planning to kill in revenge for injustices against Muslims by British and US soldiers.
The computer also contained videos of attacks on coalition forces in Iraq, and clips of speeches by bin Laden.
“This document is addressed to, amongst others, the leaders of jihad in Iraq to bin Laden and to the brothers or soldiers of jihad in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Palestine and other areas of the world,” Mr Laidlaw said, adding that the defendant’s claim that he had not wanted to kill anyone was a “lie” because the existence of the will meant he had expected to be killed by the car bomb.
The jury was told that the previous day, the men had tried to detonate two car bombs in Central London. Dr Abdulla and Ahmed drove one of the vehicles outside a nightclub, and the other in front of a late-night bus stop.
The cars, packed with nails, gas canisters and petrol, failed to explode because the trigger devices did not work properly.
CCTV showed them leaving the area early that morning. Ahmed was seen throwing away an umbrella he was said to have used to hide his face. At 1.39am he was filmed getting on to a rickshaw in Piccadilly Circus. Dr Abdulla was said to have also fled by rickshaw.
Mohammed Asha, 28, also a doctor, of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, was arrested on the M6 after undercover officers watched him dump Islamic documents, books and CDs. The prosecution claims that he funded the attacks and was kept informed of their preparation.
The two doctors deny conspiring to murder and to cause explosions likely to endanger life. The trial continues.
![]()
John Smeaton, the former baggage-handler who became a national figure following the alleged bomb attacks on Glasgow airport, is in intensive care at the Royal Alexandria Hospital, in Paisley, after an asthma attack. Mr Smeaton, 32, was awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal after last year’s incident.
Industry sectors news at a glance. Interactive heatmap, video and podcast
The inside track on current trends in the charity, not for profit and social enterprise sectors
Explore your passion for food with the delights of Thai, Indian & Chinese cooking
Read our exclusive 100 Years of Fleming and Bond interactive timeline, packed with original Times articles and reviews
Everything the Business Traveller needs to know to make a better trip
Shortcuts to help you find sections and articles
05/2005
£13,500
08/2008
£109,950
2006
£10,750
Great car insurance deals online
£100k
The National Skills Academy for Social Care
London
£49,229 - £62,035 pro rata
Charity Commission
London/Liverpool/Taunton
£75k - £85k
Confidential
London
Six Figure
Rolls Royce
Midlands/Europe
From £89,950
Great Investment, River Views
$3.5 million
Also avaliable for rent
Times Online Property Search will help you find it
Amazing Far East Offers - Visit Hong Kong
from £499pp
Cruise the Islands of Hawaii - Pride of America
List your property with two leading travel websites
Great travel insurance deals online
Contact our advertising team for advertising and sponsorship in Times Online, The Times and The Sunday Times, or place your advertisement.
Times Online Services: Dating | Jobs | Property Search | Used Cars | Holidays | Births, Marriages, Deaths
News International associated websites: Globrix | Property Finder | Milkround
Copyright 2008 Times Newspapers Ltd.
This service is provided on Times Newspapers' standard Terms and Conditions. Please read our Privacy Policy.To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from Times Online, The Times or The Sunday Times, click here.This website is published by a member of the News International Group. News International Limited, 1 Virginia St, London E98 1XY, is the holding company for the News International group and is registered in England No 81701. VAT number GB 243 8054 69.