The trial of the alleged "Three Musketeers" terror cell was plunged into secrecy as jurors were told they would hear evidence behind closed doors for the next three days.
Naweed Ali, 29, Khobaib Hussain, 25, Mohibur Rahman, 32, and Tahir Aziz, 38, are on trial at the Old Bailey for allegedly preparing to strike an unknown target on British soil. They were arrested on August 26 last year after a partially constructed pipe bomb, hatchet and imitation gun were discovered by security services in Ali's car.
The Seat Leon had been parked at the Birmingham depot of Hero Couriers, a fake firm operated by undercover officers tasked with infiltrating convicted terrorists Hussain and Ali's lives through delivery shifts.
Ali's defence team have claimed an undercover officer 'Vincent' planted the pipe bomb and other incriminating evidence in the car before MI5 arrived to bug it.
Before going into "closed evidence" jurors heard from Hussain's plumbing tutor Mark Lewis, from South and City College in Birmingham.
The court heard Hussain had enrolled on a two-year gas fitting course in September 2015 but by the spring of 2016, his attendance khad dropped off. They were also shown a stainless steel pipe and compression stop end caps which he said Hussain was instructed on how to fit in his first month. He told the court he did not use the exact brand of caps or pipes on the course he ran but they could serve the same function.
Jurors were also told about some facts which were agreed between the prosecution and defence, which included previous terrorism convictions. The court heard how Ali and Hussain were jailed for three years and four months after they admitted preparation of terror acts. They had travelled to Pakistan to attend a terror training camp in August 2011 but abandoned their plans and flew home after speaking to their families.
