COUNTER terrorism police spent five months at Blackburn Library conducting covert surveill- ance of a suspect, it has been revealed.

The details emerged during the trial of Ishaq Kanmi, 23, of Cromwell Street, Audley, who is accused of encouraging fellow Muslims to murder Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and all non-believers.

A jury was told yesterday that Kanmi used the computer facilities at the town’s central library to solicit murder —and upload links to videos showing how to make bombs, the poison ricin and gunpowder.

Last year from March to July counter terorrism officers carried out covert surveillance of Kamni at the library, Preston Crown Court heard.

Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, said: “Highly trained officers watched and filmed him while he used the computers at Blackburn library.”

Mr Edis told the court that Kanmi used false identities while posting messages on internet forums and a jihadi website.

One of the identities used was a Umar Rabie, leader of al Qaida in Britain, and a Jihadi fighter in Iraq, Mr Edis said.

The jury was told Kanmi logged onto the internet at Blackburn Library or onto his mobile phone where he made a number of demands as the leader of al Qaida in Britain.

Listing his demands, he is alleged to have posted: ”A complete withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan and Iraq.

“To free all Muslim captives in Belmarsh prison, and the foremost of them is Shayk Abu Qatada Al-Filirtini and Shaykh Abu Hamza Al-Mifri.

“If the British government fails to respond to our demands within the last date of March 2008..... then martyrdom seekers of the organisation of al Qaida in Britain will target all political leaders especially Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.”

Mr Edis told the jury: “We say that in 2007 and into 2008 Ishaq Kanmi put in an awful lot of effort to establish the street cred of Umar Rabie.”

On Kanmi’s alleged use of websites to post messages, Mr Edis added: “The sheer number of these postings showed he devoted his life to this exercise.”

Later the court heard that Kanmi and some others created a film in a Blackburn park about the ‘Blackburn Resistance’.

The film was found in a suitcase of an associate of Kanmi as they attempted to board a plane to Finland on August 14, 2008, the jury was told.

It was played to the jury.

The film showed two men dressed in camouflage, crawling, running and hiding behind trees in a Blackburn park.

At one point it showed a man stood inside a house with a gun and also had pictures of Osama Bin Laden and other al Qaida leaders.

The film ended with the phrase ‘Blackburn Resistance. Support our troops’.

Mr Edis said: ”It is an amateur film and you are going to consider its purpose, whether it is harmless or it is carefully made to give the impression to someone that something is being done behind it.

“It is not the most frightening film, but it is the best that they can do.”

When Kanmi and his associate were stopped at Manchester Airport they were found to be carrying mobile phones, a laptop and electrical storage devices such as USB pens which contained material on terrorist publications, the jury was told.

Mr Edis said: “Ishaq Kanmi took with him to Finland everything you need to recruit or convert people. They explain why Osama Bin Laden and the others are doing what they are doing to and explain July the 7th and 9/11.”

Mr Edis also said that Kanmi built up a relationship through email with a man from Derbyshire.

Between them they discussed the best place to take part in Jihad, debating between UK and Iraq, Mr Edis said.

The court was told that Kanmi’s defence will argue that he posted the words on the internet sites but did not intend anyone to take action.

Kanmi denies two counts of soliciting to murder Mr Brown and Mr Blair.

He also pleaded not guilty to professing to belong to a terrorist organisation, namely al Qaida, inviting support for the same organisation , disseminating terrorist publications and collecting or making a record of information likely to be useful to a terrorist.

(proceeding)