by Djallal Malti
LONDON, Aug 18 (AFP) - Eight men arrested in anti-terrorist raids two weeks ago appeared in a London court for the first time on Wednesday on charges of conspiracy to murder and plotting radioactive, chemical or explosive attacks.
Three were also accused of possessing documents that could be useful for those planning a terrorist attack, including possession of "reconnaissance plans" of the New York Stock Exchange and other US financial institutions, according to a statement Tuesday from London`s Metropolitan Police.
The eight men -- all British citizens, and dressed in identical grey jogging pants and white T-shirts or pullovers -- appeared for about 10 minutes each before a magistrate in a court adjacent to Belmarsh high-security prison in southeast London.
They spoke only to confirm their name and date of birth.
All were denied bail and remanded in custody until next Wednesday, when they are to appear at the Old Bailey criminal court in central London for a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence for a trial to proceed.
Kirsten Johnson, defence lawyer for six of the accused, said: "The charges will be fully contested."
The eight -- who arrived under police escort with a helicopter overhead -- were arrested on August 3 in London and other parts of England, shortly after the United States was put on a heightened state of terrorist alert.
Ranging in age from 20 to 32, they are Dhiren Barot, Mohammed Naveed Bhatti, Abdul Aziz Jalil, Omar Abdul Rehman, Junade Feroze, Zia Ul Haq, Qaisar Shaffi and Nadeem Tarmohammed.
They were arrested in London, the counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire in central England, and Lancashire in northwest England, in one of the biggest anti-terrorist operations in Britain since the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001.
US Attorney General John Ashcroft on Tuesday praised Britain for bringing charges against the eight men, who he said "may have connections to potential terrorist activities in the United States".
"We expect these charges will result in the continued safe detention of these individuals," Ashcroft said, noting that US prosecutors would monitor the case and press charges if appropriate.
All eight were charged with conspiracy to murder between New Year`s Day 2000 and the day of their arrest, and with "conspiracy to commit public nuisance ... by the use of radioactive materials, toxic gases, chemicals and/or explosives to cause disruption, fear or injury", the Metropolitan Police said.
In addition, Baron and Tarmohammed were charged with possessing surveillance plans of the Prudential Building in Newark, New Jersey, just west of New York, which could have been used to plot a terror strike.
Barot alone was also charged with possessing further detailed plans of the New York Stock Exchange, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) headquarters in Washington and the New York head office of the Citigroup banking conglomerate.
Moreover, Barot was charged with having two notebooks with information about explosives, poisons and chemicals, as well as information "of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism".
Shaffi, 25, was meanwhile charged with possessing an extract from "The Terrorist`s Handbook", an anonymously written manual which is easily available on the Internet explaining how to prepare chemicals and explosives.
A ninth man, named as Matthew Philip Monks, 32, was charged with possession of an illegal weapon. He is to appear before a magistrate in central London next week.