THE North Staffordshire doctor linked with the failed terror attacks in London and Glasgow was a "swot" with no interest in extremism, a court has heard.

Mohammed Asha, who worked at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, is on trial at Woolwich Crown Court accused of conspiring to murder and cause explosions last June.

The prosecution alleges that Asha provided funding and spiritual guidance to co-accused and fellow medic Bilal Abdulla, and fellow conspirator Kafeel Ahmed, who died after the Glasgow attack.

Iraqi Abdulla, who was yesterday cross-examined by Asha's defence barrister Stephen Kamlish, said his co-defendant knew nothing about the plans to attack London's West End and Glasgow Airport with car bombs.

The court heard that when all three men were studying in Cambridge in 2005, Abdulla and Ahmed made no secret of their support for the insurgency in Iraq. But Asha was more interested in his studies.

Abdulla admitted that Asha, aged 28, and Ahmed had not been friends and had little to do with each other. Mr Kamlish put it to the defendant that this was because Ahmed thought Asha was a swot with no interests beyond work, and Abdulla accepted this was the case.

Abdulla said that although he called Asha on the phone regularly while he was preparing for the attacks, they never spoke about the plans.

Mr Kamlish asked Abdulla how he felt about Asha being on trial with him, when he was "completely unaware" of the conspiracy.

The prosecution alleges that Asha provided Abdulla with a mobile phone, which was used by the latter as he arranged the lease of the so-called "bomb factory" in Neuk Crescent, Paisley.

Mr Kamlish asked Abdulla why he would use this phone, when it could so easily be traced back to his friend Asha.

Abdulla said: "The phone was offered to me a long time before the conspiracy was on solid ground. Kafeel did not ask to come until mid-April. I took the phone from Mohammed one or two months before that.

"Maybe I should have been more careful about it. When I phoned the letting agency, the phone was in my pocket, and I just used it."

On the day he was arrested, Asha was seen disposing of various Islamic documents, and a search of his home in Sunningdale Grove, Chesterton, revealed further extremist material.

Abdulla told the court that much of this literature had belonged to him.

The court heard that Abdulla was seen by his friends as an expert on Islam, and Mr Kamlish said this meant he would never have gone to Asha for spiritual guidance.

Mr Kamlish said: "He could never have been a spiritual guide for two reasons. He didn't have the same views as you, and you were much more learned than he was."

Earlier yesterday, Abdulla admitted to being a terrorist, but also accused the British government and armed forces of terrorism.

While Abdulla accepts that he planned and carried out the attack in London, he says he never intended to kill or injure anyone with explosions, but rather cause panic by starting fires.

Abdulla said it was entirely Kafeel Ahmed's idea to ram their Jeep into the airport terminal building.

Both defendants deny the charges. The trial continues.