No verdict in London bomb trial

A jury failed to reach a verdict today in the trial of two men accused of being part of an Islamist militant cell that tried …

A jury failed to reach a verdict today in the trial of two men accused of being part of an Islamist militant cell that tried to set off suicide bombs on London's transport system two years ago this month.

Manfo Kwaku Asiedu and Adel Yahya were accused of conspiracy to murder in the failed attacks of July 21st, 2005, that took place a fortnight after suicide bombings killed 52 people in the British capital.

Prosecutors must now decide whether to hold another trial with a new jury.

Yesterday, four men - Muktah Said Ibrahim, Yassin Hassan Omar, Ramzi Mohammed and Hussein Osman - were found guilty of the same charge at Woolwich Crown Court in east London after a trial lasting almost six months.

READ MORE

The men, Muslims of African origin, had tried to set off home-made bombs on three underground trains and a bus, but the explosives failed to detonate.

They had claimed that the bombings were a hoax designed as a protest against the war in Iraq.

Asiedu, who admitted he had dumped a fifth bomb in a park in north London, broke ranks with his co-accused during the trial, saying the plot was genuine but that he had been duped into taking part.

Yahya, who had left the country six weeks before the failed attacks, denied having any knowledge of the plot.