Three men 'helped July 7 bombers', UK court told

London: Three men went on trial on Monday accused of helping bombers prepare the deadly July 7, 2005 suicide bombings on the London transport system by carrying out a reconnaissance mission in the British capital.

Proscecutors say Waheed Ali, 25, Sadeer Saleem, 28 and Mohammed Shakil, 32, spent two days in the city, visiting tourist attractions.

London's Kingston Crown Court was told the trip was "an important first step" in the plot to detonate bombs in Britain.

The trio, from Beeston, Leeds, deny one charge of conspiring with Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shezhad Tanweer, Jermaine Lindsay and Hasib Hussain to cause explosions.

The four young British Islamist militants killed 52 people and wounded hundreds when they set off suicide bombs on three underground trains and a bus.

Ali and Shakil also deny a second charge of conspiracy to attend a place used for terrorist training. It is alleged they were planning a trip to Pakistan to attend a training camp when police arrested them in March 2007.