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3 Brits Guilty in '06 Plot to Bomb Transatlantic Flights
Planned use of liquid explosives sparked restrictions still in effect
By Harry Kimball
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Posted Sep 7, 09 12:15 PM CDT
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(Newser)
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Three British Muslims were convicted today of conspiracy to blow up airplanes with liquid explosives in a failed 2006 plot that led to restrictions on drinks and toiletries on flights, the Times of London reports. Ringleader Abdulla Ahmed Ali, Assad Sarwar, and Tanvir Hussain were retried after a jury last year found them guilty only of conspiracy to cause explosions in a plot to place suicide bombers on at least seven flights from Heathrow to the US and Canada.
The verdict is a boon for officials who have been under fire from passengers over the exacting carry-on restrictions. In a video made before his anticipated death, Ali had promised “floods of martyr operations” in Britain that would leave the streets littered with body parts. The cell planned to smuggle bomb components, including hydrogen peroxide, aboard jetliners in soda bottles and assemble them in midair.