Iraqi teen denies attempted bombing of London train

Ahmed Hassan faces charges of attempted murder and causing an explosion over September attack at Parsons Green station that injured 30

By AFP 19 January 2018, 7:21 pm

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Members of the emergency services work near Parsons Green underground tube station in west London on September 15, 2017, following an incident on an underground tube carriage at the station. (AFP/Daniel Leal-Olivas)

LONDON — An Iraqi teenager on Friday pleaded not guilty to allegations he was behind the attempted bombing of a London underground train last year which left 30 people injured.

Ahmed Hassan, 18, is facing charges of attempted murder and causing an explosion over the September 15 attack at Parsons Green station.

Wearing a purple jumper, Hassan appeared at the London court by video link from prison.

The blast, which occurred during rush hour, inflicted flash burns on passengers, while others were injured in the subsequent panic to escape the packed London Underground train.

Thirty people were treated in hospital following the explosion, which could have had a far more devastating impact but failed to detonate correctly.

The device had been placed in a plastic bag and contained hundreds of grams of explosives, as well as metal shrapnel including knives and screws, a prosecutor said during an earlier court hearing.

A file photo from Sept. 15, 2017, shows burning items in underground train at the scene of a bomb attack at Parsons Green station in London. (Sylvain Pennec via AP, File)

The bombing at Parsons Green, a quiet and wealthy neighborhood, was Britain’s fifth terror attack in six months and was claimed by the Islamic State group.

Hassan was arrested a day after the bombing when he was recognized by an officer at the southeastern ferry port of Dover.

He had been living in Surrey just south of London and has said his parents were killed in Iraq.

The two-week trial is due to start on March 5, after a further hearing scheduled for February 23.