Briton convicted for terrorism claims having met Bin Laden

London, April 20 (ANI): A British man convicted for the aborted shoe-bombing operation has admitted in a videotape statement that he met Osama Bin Laden after deciding to fight jihad against the West.

Saajid Badat was interviewed by US prosecutors and defence lawyers outside London late last month while preparing for the New York trial of Adis Medunjanin who has been accused of 2009 plot to attack New York's subways with suicide bombs.

Badat said that he could not testify in person as he was under indictment in Boston on alleged charges of conspiring with shoe-bomber Richard Reid, xpress.co.uk reports.

"If I go to the United States, I'll be arrested," Badat said on the tape played for a jury in US federal court in Brooklyn.

Thirty-three-year-old Badat was pleaded guilty in Britain of plotting with Reid to blow down separate American transatlantic flights using bombs hidden in their shoes. He however backed out at the last minute.

He also said that he had 'direct interaction' with Bin Laden 'more than once' after traveling to Afghanistan in 1999.

Badat also had no involvement with the Zazi and Zarein Ahmedzay who were involved in the 2010 plot and were jailed without bail.

However, US prosecutors instead wanted to use Badat's statement to corroborate with what Zazi and Ahmedzay said about al Qaida's leadership and training methods.

UK authorities had announced this week that in 2009 a judge secretly reduced Badat's sentence from 13 to 11 years to reward him for his co-operation in terror investigations. (ANI)