The four were arrested in April 2012 and pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to engaging in preparation for acts of terrorism. The court heard that the young men had arranged terrorism training in Pakistan, debated obtaining weapons and how best to raise funds for their plans.
The judge said: "In each of their cases, their persistent commitment to terrorist activity, in a number of different ways, over a significant period of time and, in each case, their willingness to take practical steps to obtain terrorist training abroad, marks them out as particularly dangerous.
This, coupled with the fact that, after their houses had been searched, and they were obviously under serious suspicion, they nonetheless continued to access material consistent with the mindset which informed their previous preparatory activities, persuades me that they continue to be 'dangerous' to such a degree that I should exercise my discretion to pass an extended sentence."
Zahid Iqbal, 31; Mohammed Sharfaraz Ahmed, 25; Umar Arshad, 24; and Syed Farhan Hussain, 21; all from Luton, admitted discussing a possible attack on the town's Army base.
The four smiled and giggled as the court was played recordings of conversations in which they discussed travelling to Pakistan for terror training, buying guns and making explosives.
They discussed how to make a homemade bomb, based on instructions available in an English-language jihadist magazine. Yes I get it too, how could there even BE a magazine like that?
Their conversations were secretly recorded in an intelligence led joint counter-terrorism police - MI5 operation into the movement of individuals from the UK to Pakistan "for extremist purposes linked to al-Qaeda."
Their target was a Territorial Army base and the plan was to send in a bomb in a toy car under the gate.
The police or MI-5 would not comment on when and how they first came under suspicion.
I wonder what MI-5s first clue was?
