Detonators in July 21 "plot" too weak - court

LONDON, Jan 24 (Reuters) Explosives carried by men accused of plotting to attack London's transport system in July 2005 could have caused death and injury but the detonators used were not powerful enough, a forensic expert testified today.

Six men deny conspiracy to murder and cause explosions, in what prosecutors say was a plot to repeat the worst peacetime bombings in London's history, two weeks after the deadly July 7, 2005 attacks on three trains and a bus.

''It appears in this case the initiator ... wasn't actually powerful enough to set off the main charge,'' Claire McGavigan told the court.

She said tests on material carried by some of the accused showed it would have propelled nails, screws and washers mixed in with the explosives at hundreds of metres per second, causing ''serious injuries, internal injuries, loss of limbs.'' ''There would be serious damage to the train and there would also be serious injuries and death to people in the train,'' she told Woolwich Crown Court.

Prosecutors say the defendants had plotted for months and had targeted three underground trains and a bus on July 21, just like the bombers who struck on July 7.

Closed circuit television pictures released yesterday showed panic erupting on a London underground train when prosecutors say one of the bombers tried to blow it up.

The silent footage showed passengers fleeing to another carriage after an apparent bang, while defendant Ramzi Mohammed, stood at one end of the Underground train car with a large pack on his back.

McGavigan described the explosive as a pale-yellow stringy material with an odour similar to bleach.

The defendants all deny they intended to kill or cause explosions. The trial continues.

REUTERS SI RK2155