A LEADING Met Officer has said the public needs to remain vigilant about potential terrorists, following the conviction of three men who plotted to blow up transatlantic airliners.

Ringleader Abdulla Ahmed Ali, of Walthamstow, Tanvir Hussain, of Leyton and Assad Sarwar, of High Wycombe, were all yesterday found guilty of conspiring to murder.

They used a flat in Forest Road, Walthamstow, as a bomb factory and planned to smuggle explosives disguised as fizzy drinks aboard a flight to the US.

But the plan was foiled and Ali and Sarwar were arrested in the grounds of Waltham Forest Town Hall three years ago.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner John McDowall, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command said: "If these terrorists had been successful, many people would have lost their lives. Many more would have died if they had chosen to detonate their bombs over land.

"They intended to cause carnage through a series of co-ordinated and deadly explosions and bring terror into the lives of people around the globe.

"Each had a vital role to play in the plot. They were prepared to sacrifice their own lives and two of them - Ali and Hussain - had made suicide videos.

"They claimed the videos were threats designed to influence the Government and intimidate the public. The jury rejected this, instead accepting the clear evidence that they were a pre-cursor to their attempted martyrdom.

"This has been a lengthy, resource-intensive and meticulous investigation, which has culminated in today's guilty verdicts. I cannot thank enough all those involved in bringing these terrorists to justice.

"While we successfully disrupted this plot, the public should be in no doubt that the terrorist threat is still with us and that there are individuals in the UK who are determined to attack us. It is vital that we all remain vigilant."

Following the arrests of Ali and Sarwar police searched the bomb factory and various other properties and found litres of hydrogen peroxide, bulbs, wires, a thermometer, batteries and a tape containing Ali and Hussain.'s suicide videos.