Nine men in court in London over alleged terror plot

Nine men arrested in Britain a week ago appeared in court in London Monday charged with having planned acts of terorism in Britain, police said.

The men, aged between 19 and 28, are also accused of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism - including carrying out reconnaissance, testing incendiary material and agreeing on potential targets, DPA reported.

The suspects, of whom at least five are of Bangladeshi origin, were among a total of 12 men arrested in London, Cardiff, Birmingham and in the town of Stoke-on-Trent, in the Midlands, on December 20.

Three have since been released without charge. The remaining nine are charged with conspiring to cause an explosion or explosions in Britain "of a nature likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property."

Unconfirmed media reports said the men planned attacks on shopping centres in London and other cities in the run-up to Christmas. Intelligence sources said the arrests were related to a "significant" plot.

John Yates, the deputy police chief in London, said last week that the information available to the police required immediate action. The men were arrested by unarmed police in dawn raids in what he said was an "absolutely vital" move "to keep the public safe."

At Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, the prosecution was Monday due to outline details of the alleged plot. But these were unlikely to be made public immediately.

"I have reviewed the evidence provided to me by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit and I am satisfied there is sufficient for a realistic prospect of conviction, and it is in the public interest that these men should be charged with these offences", Sue Hemming, head of the Crown Prosecution Service Counter Terrorism Division, said Monday.