British bomb plotters lose appeal

Five British men who were jailed for life for plotting al Qaeda-inspired bomb attacks across Britain lost appeals against their convictions today.

The five men - Omar Khyam, Anthony Garcia, Jawad Akbar, Waheed Mahmood and Salahuddin Amin - were given life sentences in April 2007 after being found guilty of plotting attacks on targets ranging from nightclubs to trains and a shopping centre.

Prosecutors said they planned to use 600 kg of ammonium nitrate fertiliser to make bombs in revenge for Britain's support for the United States after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001.

Three judges at London's Court of Appeal ruled today that their convictions should stand.