The first three men to be charged in connection with the July 7th, 2005 London suicide bombings appeared in court today, accused of scouting for targets.
Seven months before the bombings, two of them visited the London Eye, the Natural History Museum and the London Aquarium, prosecutors alleged.
Mohammed Shakil (31), Sadeer Saleem (27) and Waheed Ali (24) all shared common beliefs with the bombers, who committed "appalling acts of terrorism" on London, Kingston Crown Court in Surrey was told.
The bombers - Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Jermaine Lindsay and Hasib Hussain - killed 52 people in co-ordinated morning rush hour attacks on three underground trains and a bus.
Prosecutors allege that between November 17th, 2004 and July 8th, 2005, they "unlawfully and maliciously" conspired with the four suicide bombers and others unknown to cause explosions likely to endanger life or cause serious harm and injury in the UK.
The group, all from Beeston, Leeds, have pleaded not guilty to the single charge under the Explosive Substances Act 1883. Dressed casually, they sat in the dock passively listening.
It is the prosecution case that the defendants associated with and shared the beliefs and objectives of the London bombers Prosecutor Neil Flewitt
Prosecutor Neil Flewitt told the jury it was not the prosecution case that the three defendants were directly involved in the London bombings in the sense that they were responsible for making or transporting the bombs.
"However," he said, "it is the prosecution case that the defendants associated with and shared the beliefs and objectives of the London bombers and so were willing to assist them in one particular and important aspect of their preparation for the London bombings."
He said that in December 2004 the group travelled to London where they undertook a reconnaissance of potential targets over two days. They travelled with the bomber Hussain and later met up with another, Lindsay, but later denied it was a sinister trip.
"Rather it is their case that the purpose of their journey was to enable Waheed Ali to visit his sister in east London," he told the court.
"Further, Sadeer Saleem and Mohammed Shakil accept that they visited the Natural History Museum, the London Eye and the London Aquarium but maintain that they did so for purely social reasons."
Mr Flewitt said the locations the group visited "bore a striking similarity" to the targets three of the bombers later identified during a hostile reconnaissance two weeks before the bombings.
The group, Mr Flewitt said, admitted they knew the bombers but maintained their friendship was innocent and that they did not know about the plans to bomb the capital.
The trial, before Mr Justice Peter Gross, continues.