Appeal by transit bombers rejected

LONDON, April 23 (UPI) -- A British court rejected appeals Wednesday by four men convicted of a bungled plan to bomb mass transit in London two weeks after the successful 2005 attack.

Muktar Said Ibrahim, Yassin Omar, Ramzi Mohammed and Hussain Osman were sentenced to life in prison and told they must serve at least 40 years in prison. Three judges refused to grant them leave to appeal, The Times of London reported.

On July 7, 2005, suicide bombers killed more than 50 people in London, detonating explosives on three subway trains and a bus during the morning rush hour. The July 21, 2005, attacks were almost a replay except that bombs failed to detonate.

During their trial, the defendants suggested that they never intended to kill anyone, only to carry out an action that would draw attention to the British role in Iraq.