Christians Under Attack

THE man who made the bombs used in the alleged July 21 terror attacks told a court yesterday it was a protest for Muslims.

Muktar Said Ibrahim spoke for the first time about the events of nearly two years ago as he took to the witness box to launch his defence.

The 29-year-old has admitted putting together the rucksack explosives but said he did not mean to kill or hurt anyone, Woolwich crown court, South London heard.

His defence counsel George Carter-Stephenson QC has already described how Ibrahim tested the devices beforehand to make sure they only went "pop".

He was the first of six men accused of an extremist Muslim plot to give evidence.

All six deny charges of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions likely to endanger life.

Ibrahim, from Stoke Newington, North London, swore to Allah before answering questions from his defence counsel.

He immediately admitted he was the man on the No 26 bus who was caught on CCTV apparently detonating a rucksack on July 21.

But Ibrahim denied the intention was to make it explode. Asked why he was carrying the device, he said: "To protest against the plight of Muslims everywhere, especially in Iraq."

Ibrahim was born in Eritrea and came to the UK with his family in 1990, aged 13, to escape the war with Ethiopia.

The other defendants are Yassin Omar, 26, New Southgate, North London; Mafo Kwaku Asiedu, 33, no fixed address; Hussain Osman 28, no fixed address; Ramzi Mohammed, 25, Kensington, West London and Adel Yahya, 24, Tottenham, North London. The trial continues.

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