Alleged terror plotters looked down on 'swot' doctor, jury told

An NHS doctor accused of helping finance a terrorist plot would not have been wanted in the gang because he was a "swot", a court heard.

Mohammed Asha, 28, was treated as an "outsider" by two allegedco-conspirators, Woolwich Crown Court was told. Summing up the case for the defence, Stephen Kamlish QC said Muslims Kafeel Ahmed and Bilal Abdulla looked down on Mr Asha because of his focus on work and family rather than the afterlife. He said there was not sufficient evidence against the medic, a neurologist at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.

Mr Ahmed and Mr Abdulla, 29, drove a burning Jeep into Glasgow airport last year and planted two car bombs in London's West End which failed to go off, it is claimed. Indian engineering student Mr Ahmed died from burns a month later.

Yesterday, Mr Kamlish told the jury Mr Ahmed's brother, Sabeel, who was not involved in the plot, had more contact with the pair than Mr Asha.

Mr Kamlish told the court: "There's more evidence against this non-conspirator than there is against Mohammed Asha."

He said Mr Asha was being used as a "swot" to help Abdulla, a doctor at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, and was "an outsider, both generally to their lives and to their plot".

Extremist material was found on both Sabeel Ahmed and Mr Asha's laptops, and both gave money to Kafeel Ahmed and Mr Abulla, the jury heard. The brothers lived together in India while Mr Kafeel said he was doing "experiments" in the run-up to the attacks, and held similar political beliefs, the court was told.

Mr Kamlish said extremist material had got on to Mr Asha's computer when Abdulla loaded software on to it.

Mr Abdulla and Mr Asha are on trial for conspiracy to murder and to cause explosions, which they deny.

The trial continues.