LONDON — Four Islamic militants, all British citizens, admitted involvement Wednesday in a conspiracy inspired by al-Qaeda to place a bomb in the toilets of the London Stock Exchange, with the hope that the multistory building would catch fire. Five other men involved in a wider conspiracy pleaded guilty to lesser charges.
Prosecutors said the stock-exchange plot was foiled by the arrests of the nine men, who were tailed as they surveyed London tourist attractions and whose conversations were secretly monitored.
Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the U.S. Embassy were among the targets scouted or considered by the men, the court was told. Others included the home of the London mayor, two rabbis and the London Eye, a Ferris wheel towering above the River Thames.
Denver Post wire services
