When Naweed Ali, Mohibur Rahman and Khobaib Hussain were released from prison, they still harboured deadly intentions and police and MI5 were determined to watch their every move.
They demonstrated entrenched behaviour, talking in open spaces, where they could not be monitored, or on encrypted applications, even using a Musketeers image for their Telegram message group.
In response an elaborate undercover sting was approved in which Ali and Hussain were recruited by a fake firm, Hero Couriers, set up last July. But there were no customers — the company was driving luggage around the country that supposedly had to be relocated from one airport to another, but was actually left at Big Yellow storage units.
The courier company was simply a way to distract the suspects, who were given offers of jobs so surveillance bugs could be installed in their vehicles.
Hussain made nine trips in July and August for Hero Couriers before Ali was recruited, leaving his car inside the depot while he took another vehicle on a trip to Luton.
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When MI5 officers went to complete the bugging on Ali’s car on August 26 last year, they discovered a pipe bomb, meat cleaver carved with the word “kafir”, an imitation firearm and assorted ammunition in a sports bag. All the men were arrested. A large samurai-style sword was found in the car driven by Tahir Aziz, the group’s fourth member.
The officers involved in the operation faced days of scrutiny in the witness stand, with the defence claiming that evidence was planted, although Hussain’s DNA was linked to the weapons.
Detective Chief Superintendent Matt Ward, head of the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit, said any mistakes were not evidence of corruption but of “people being human”.
He said the undercover officers demonstrated “incredible bravery” as “at any moment their cover could have been blown and their lives would have been at risk”.
‘Vincent’ texts
Lawyers for the “Three Musketeers” claimed that texts from “Vincent”, the undercover police officer, proved they had suffered entrapment. These are two of his texts to his supervisor:
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“The situation we find ourselves in with BSS [British Security Service] is not ideal (understatement) either way I’m even more determined to put in an Oscar performance when I get in that box.”
Another read: “I know [another officer’s] team think I’m an old school dinosaur but I don’t give a f**k what they think . . . They have never seen me give evidence . . . I won’t let you down . . . I would die first. See you Monday, [wink emoji].”