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Extremists jailed for terrorism

White Muslim convert Richard Dart has been jailed for six years for plotting a terror attack in former military repatriation town Wootton Bassett. His accomplices were jailed for four years and six months and nine years and nine months.

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Determination and intent of extremists 'was very clear'

When Richard Dart, Jahangir Alom and Imran Mahmood were making plans for two of them, Dart and Alom, to fly to Pakistan, they did not expect those travels to lead them to the dock at the Old Bailey and jail. But this case serves as another reminder that those who take steps to travel abroad for the purposes of preparing for terrorism can and will be prosecuted here in the UK.

Although the men did not identify any specific targets for an attack, their determination and intent were very clear. The training that Dart and Alom sought, and which Mahmood attempted to assist with, would have taught Dart and Alom the skills and techniques necessary to commit acts of terrorism both aboard and in the United Kingdom. Mahmood had already undertaken training and was already asking Dart for help in locating a book that would allow him to make home-made explosives.

– Mark Topping, Crown Prosecution Service

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Fragment of reconstructed 'silent conversation'

Police discovered fragments of text on Dart's laptop that revealed that the pair had used the computer to have a "silent conversation" to avoid possible surveillance bugs.

They would open a Word document and take it in turns to type, before deleting the text and mistakenly assumed that none of it would be stored on the machine.

A fragment of the conversation police reconstructed on Dart's laptop. Credit: Metropolitan Police

However forensic experts were able to plough through 2,000 pages of computer code to decipher fragments of what was said.

These included Mahmood making a reference to Wootton Bassett and then adding "if it comes down to it it's that or even just to deal with a few MI5 MI6 heads".

Sentencing on terror plot trio expected tomorrow

Today the sentencing process, which could take until tomorrow, began at the Old Bailey.

Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC told the court:

"The method employed as the police, with the help of computer experts, would subsequently discover, involved Dart and Mahmood sitting together at a computer and opening a Word document on the computer to conduct what in effect was a silent conversation.

Richard Dart, who changed his name to Salahuddin al-Britani, Jahangir Alom and Imran Mahmood. Credit: Metropolitan Police/PA

"Having had that discussion by typing into the document, the document was then deleted by one or other of the defendants, without having been saved and as far as the defendants were concerned the document would therefore be destroyed forever.

"They plainly were under the misapprehension that the text once deleted could never be recovered."

Terror trio facing long jail terms over attack plan

Three men, including a white Muslim convert, are due to be sentenced after pleading guilty to plotting a terror attack in the former military repatriation town of Wootton Bassett.

Richard Dart Credit: Met Police

Richard Dart and his co-conspirators Jahangir Alom and Imran Mahmood admitted to the plot last month. Dart and Alom travelled to Pakistan to try to get terrorist training, and took advice from Mahmood who had already visited the country.

Dart, a former BBC security guard, also discussed bomb making and potential targets with Mahmood, which included the town of Wootton Bassett.

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