Five British Muslims arrested in March 2004 have been convicted of conspiracy to launch a series of deadly bombings.

The judge announced that they were linked to the 7/7 London bombers—but the jury was never told this because it would have been “too prejudicial.”

Five men were found guilty today of conspiracy to cause a series of deadly explosions using home-made fertiliser bombs as it emerged today that the men had links to the July 7 bombers.

Omar Khyam, who boasted of working for the number three in al-Qa’eda, was found guilty along with Jawad Akbar, Salahuddin Amin, Waheed Mahmood and Anthony Garcia of conspiracy to cause explosions made from chemical fertiliser which would endanger life.

The security service has always maintained that the London suicide bombers were merely on the “periphery” of another operation and a court order had banned the media from reporting the link with the fertiliser gang, who were arrested 16 months before the July 7 attacks on London transport system killed 52 people.Following the announcement the convictions it was revealed to the public for the first time that Khyam was a close associate of Mohammed Sidique Khan, the ringleader of the July 7 bombers.

Khyam also met another of the July 7 bombers, Shehzad Tanweer. The judge, Sir Michael Astill, said the Old Bailey jury had not been told of the connection as it would be too prejudicial for the fertiliser bomb plot accused to be linked to the men who caused carnage in London.