Al-Qaeda Convict Flies Into Britain Wearing Shoe-Bomb

A British terror convict flew from Pakistan to London wearing a shoe-bomb that he was supposed to detonate on a US passenger jet, a New York trial heard Tuesday. Star prosecution witness Saajid Badat.

testifying at the trial of Osama bin Laden's son-in-law, revealed he flew via the Netherlands wearing the bomb.

Once back in Britain in December 2001 he was supposed to fly across the Atlantic and bomb a domestic US flight, but a reunion with his parents, after three years in Afghanistan, changed his mind.

"It was then I decided to back out of the mission," said Badat. He emailed his handler in Karachi to withdraw, but kept the bomb.

"I hadn't relinquished my views so there may come a time when I would need it again," added Badat.

He said he met bin Laden one-on-one to discuss the plot and admitted that he "envied" the 9/11 hijackers.

The revelation came as Badat provided striking insights into a string of plots and Al-Qaeda training activities in Afghanistan in 2001.

He also told the court how Al-Qaeda operatives had tested poisons on animals named Clinton, Bush and Sharon before watching them die.

Badat revealed how he met at least two of the 9/11 hijackers, went to Belgium in connection with a thwarted plot, researched Jewish targets to attack in South Africa and handed a shoe bomb to Malaysian plotters in December 2001.

A polyglot fluent in four languages, he also said he translated bin Laden's speeches and sermons from Arabic so they could reach the English-speaking world.

Badat revealed British shoe bomber Richard Reid had the Al-Qaeda code name "Van Damme" because a Pakistani thought he looked like the Belgian film star Jean-Claude Van Damme.

The 34-year-old saw a potential life sentence in Britain reduced to 6.5 years in exchange for cooperating with British and US officials.

Wearing a well-cut grey suit, he articulated in precise English how a dog and rabbit were poisoned to death on an Al-Qaeda explosives course.

"The instructor would shout out this is Clinton, or Bush or Sharon," he said in reference to the then and former US leaders and the late Israeli prime minister.

Badat said Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the 9/11 planner held in Guantanamo Bay, had an almanac of skyscrapers, in which he crossed out the Twin Towers.