Love is a many-splendored thing. “Terrorist’s wife ‘kept plot to rival 9/11 secret because she wanted to rekindle their romance,'” by Chris Greenwood for the Daily Mail, April 10 (thanks to Phil):
The lovelorn wife of a would- be suicide bomber begged her estranged husband to father her child as he finalised plans to kill himself in a murderous attack.
Salma Kabal, 23, knew of her husband’s ambitions to blow himself up but refused to believe the pair did not have a future together, a court was told.
She told Ashik Ali she wanted him back in her life and even joked about his deadly terrorist ambitions.
In March, the 27-year-old Islamic extremist was convicted alongside two close friends of plotting a string of attacks to rival 9/11 or the London 7/7 bombings.
Yesterday, Kabal went on trial accused of failing to inform the police about the conspiracy which could have killed dozens.
Woolwich Crown Court heard a huge counter-terrorism police and MI5 operation captured the couple’s conversations on a hidden bug.
Prosecutor Stuart Baker said Ali “˜couldn’t have made his intention” to commit an act of terrorism “˜much clearer”.
He said: “˜Ashik Ali felt able to talk openly with Salma Kabal about his intentions to commit terrorist acts in the future and other related matters.
“˜The conversation only really works between two people if both have some understanding of what is being referred to, and each are aware of what the other knows and understands.”
Kabal was arrested during co-ordinated raids on members of the terrorist cell across Birmingham in September 2011.
Ali and his accomplices Irfan Naseer and Irfan Khalid face long prison sentences after they were convicted of masterminding the plot. Several others admitted their roles.
Naseer and Khalid secretly travelled to Pakistan twice to train alongside members of Al Qaeda, returning to Britain to pass on their knowledge.
Mr Baker said: “˜They were committed to committing acts of terrorism, although the finer details of the plot had not been finally agreed.
“˜They discussed ways of killing people and discussed their martyrdom.”
The court heard Kabal became estranged from Ali as he dedicated himself to the conspiracy and started to raise money through bogus charity collections.
When she was arrested, she told police, “˜I haven’t done anything wrong”, and refused to answer any questions in interview.
She had not known that her conversations with Ali were recorded when she travelled to his flat — the terror gang’s bomb factory — to try to rekindle their romance.
The jury were given details of three conversations that took place in the four days before the plot was dramatically foiled.
She asked him to father a child with her, having suffered a miscarriage with his first baby, and refused to accept his plan for her to marry someone else.
Mr Baker said she indicated she knew of the terror plot by replying “˜I understand” when Ali suggested the next Ramadan may be his last.
Ali told her the bombings would be outside the UK “˜to protect her from the truth or protect himself and others from loose talk”, the court heard.
In another conversation, Kabal joked about the film Four Lions, a parody movie of bungling British jihadists, and texted him about it before it was shown on Channel 4, the court heard.
Kabal said she wanted to be the “˜lioness” when Ali joked that she considered his terrorist aspirations as similar to the hapless bombers.
“˜Oh, you think this is a flipping Four Lions”, Ali told his wife.
“˜We”re one man short, there’s three of us. We ain’t Four Lions yet.” Kabal replied: “˜I’ll be your fourth one”, before adding “˜Lioness” when Ali says she cannot join their cell.
She was also recorded saying: “˜Kiss you goodbye in five months innit?” to which Ali replied: “˜Hopefully before that.”
Mr Baker said Kabal may have known about the bomb plot for as long as two years but did nothing to stop it.
He said: “˜She had information she should have told police about in order to prevent acts of terrorism that she believed were going to take place.
“˜Salma Kabal was married to Ashik Ali but at the time we are concerned with, she was separated from him. But it is clear that she was trying to get back together with him.”
Kabal, of Alum Rock, Birmingham, who sat alone in the dock wearing a purple headscarf having removed her veil, denies having information about acts of terrorism.
The maximum penalty on conviction is five years” imprisonment….