Trial begins in trans-Atlantic bomb plot

LONDON - A 2006 plot to blow up passenger jets over the Atlantic could have resulted in the near-simultaneous detonation of seven Boeing 777s, with authorities having no means of halting "an act of terrorism on an almost unprecedented scale" once it was underway, prosecutors said yesterday.

As the trial opened for eight Britons accused of hatching the plot, prosecutors for the first time laid out evidence in a now-infamous scheme that paralyzed airports on both sides of the Atlantic and ended the era when airline passengers could carry on a soft drink or large bottle of shampoo.

At least seven flights were targeted, leaving at midafternoon from London's Heathrow Airport for New York, Washington, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, and San Francisco, prosecutor Peter Wright told jurors.

"Therefore, barring unexpected cancellation or lengthy delay, seven passenger aircraft carrying hundreds of passengers and crew depart Heathrow Airport entirely at the mercy of the suicide bombers who happen to be on board with their deadly devices," Wright said.

The trial is expected to last eight months for the eight men, many of them strongly observant Muslims who hail mainly from suburban communities around Britain.

All eight have pleaded not guilty to charges that include conspiracy to murder, preparing acts of terrorism and, in at least one case, possession of illegal firearms. At least one defendant is said to have had a book on improvised explosive devices, suicide notes and wills, and a map of Afghanistan.