3 UK men kept in prison after terrorism hearing

LONDON – Three men from central England accused of building an improvised explosive device and making other preparations for a terrorist attack were remanded into prison custody Tuesday by a London court.

District Judge Daphne Wickham told the men they would be held until a hearing on July 31.

Jewel Uddin, 26, Omar Mohammed Khan, 27, and Mohammed Hasseen, 23, spoke only to confirm their names and ages at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court.

All three were charged late Monday with an offense of preparing an act of terrorism. They did not enter any pleas to the court or seek bail.

Authorities have said the case is not linked to the upcoming London 2012 Olympic Games.

The three are among seven people detained after police stopped a car on a highway in central England on June 30, suspecting it had no insurance.

A later search of the impounded vehicle turned up guns, knives and a makeshift bomb, prompting police to trace and arrest the driver, passenger and other suspects.

The three men, all from the mostly Muslim neighborhood Sparkhill in the central England city of Birmingham, are alleged to have constructed an improvised explosive device and purchased guns, other weapons and cars between May 1 and July 4.
  Four other people are still being questioned by police.