Defendant in semi-secret British terrorism trial denies plotting attacks

LONDON – The defendant in a semi-secret terrorism trial in Britain has denied plotting any attack.

Prosecutors say Erol Incedal may have been planning indiscriminate Mumbai-style shootings or to attack a "significant" individual. The address of former Prime Minister Tony Blair was found in his car.

Incedal denies preparing a terrorist act and possessing bomb-making instructions.

He told jurors at London's Central Criminal Court on Monday that he "never intended" to commit terrorism. He said he had a reasonable excuse for possessing a memory card carrying bomb-making instructions.

Prosecutors had sought to have the trial held in secret on national security grounds, a move legal experts said would be unprecedented in a British criminal case. After a challenge from media organizations, a judge ruled that some sections should be held in public.