Doctor Mohammed Asha, the co-accused in the case, was arrested by police after being under surveillance for a number of hours after the London bombing attempt.

Mobile phone evidence left behind at the Tiger, Tiger bombing led directly to Mr Asha, a highly-regarded doctor at the Royal Infirmary at Stoke. Dr Asha was the first person the alleged bombers called after the aborted Haymarket attack and Dr Abdulla and Kafeel Ahmed met with him on Friday evening at the hospital he worked at, the jury heard yesterday.

Speaking about the aftermath of the failed London bombs, Crown Persecutor Jonathan Laidlaw, QC, said Dr Abdulla and Mr Ahmed met Mr Asha at Stoke's Royal Infirmary as they returned to Scotland.

He said CCTV footage showed the doctor leaving the hospital shortly before 6pm following a series of calls from Dr Abdulla's mobile.

Mr Laidlaw said the meeting is of "considerable significance" and demonstrates the importance of Dr Asha's role in the conspiracy.

In the hours after the Glasgow bombing, as news of the attack broke, friends Dr Asha was visiting noticed he went very quiet and wanted to go home. Friends said he acted strangely and appeared tired.

Mr Laidlaw said Dr Asha was later followed by undercover officers in the hours before he was arrested on the M6 on June 30 at 9pm.

He said Dr Asha was watched as he dumped documents, books and computer discs at two supermarkets near his home.

The court was told black bin liners containing partially burned documents, including links to extremist websites, were found in one wheelie bin.

Several minutes later, Dr Asha was watched as he placed Arabic texts and smashed computer CDs into a recycling bank, he added.Mr Laidlaw then said Dr Asha was arrested by police when they stopped his Mazda car.

The court was told that a hoard of extremist Islamic material was found at Dr Asha's Newcastle-under-Lyme home.

Police found a handwritten poem pledging allegiance to Osama bin Laden in one bedroom, Mr Laidlaw said.

A compact disc was also found containing a collection of extremist video clips including beheadings and attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.