Blair and Brown 'topped death list'

Blair and Brown 'topped death list'

A British man "devoted to the task of stirring up terrorism" encouraged fellow Muslims to murder Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, a court has been told.

Ishaq Kanmi, 23, of Blackburn, Lancashire, is alleged to have called for the elimination of political leaders, with the Prime Minister and his predecessor at the "top of the list".

At Preston Crown Court, he denies charges including two counts of soliciting to murder Mr Brown and Mr Blair and professing to belong to a terrorist organisation, namely al Qaida.

The court was told Kanmi posted two messages on a jihadi website in which he claimed to be the leader of al Qaida in Britain, an offshoot of the terror group.

In one of the postings made in January 2008, he was said to have compiled a list of aims for the "organisation", which included "the elimination of political leaders and top of the list Blair and Brown. As God said: 'Kill the nonbelievers'."

Another objective was "huge attacks, God willing, on centres and places of benefit to the crusaders. As God said: 'Kill the participants as you find them, take them, guard them and wait for them'."

The message, shown to the jury of eight men and four women, concluded: "We invite all Muslims in Britain to join us and prepare themselves for martyrdom operations and not lose this golden chance. We also invite all Muslims in Europe to make us victorious in Europe, with men and money, until the British government withdraws its troops from Iraq and Afghanistan."

The message was signed "Leadership of al Qaida in Britain".

Kanmi, of Cromwell Street, denies two counts of soliciting to murder Mr Brown and Mr Blair.

He also pleaded not guilty to professing to belong to a terrorist organisation, namely al Qaida, inviting support for the same organisation , disseminating terrorist publications and collecting or making a record of information likely to be useful to a terrorist.