NEW YORK – A Vietnamese man from south London was given instructions by a senior Al-Qaeda operative on how to build a bomb ahead of a planned attack at Heathrow Airport, according to the UK’s Daily Mail.

Minh Quang Pham, a 33-year-old former McDonald’s employee, was arrested in 2011 upon his return to London from a six-month trip to Yemen, where he allegedly edited propaganda material for an Al-Qaeda terror cell.

According to an FBI report obtained by the Sunday Times, Pham trained with the infamous American-born Al-Qaeda leader Anwar Al-Awlaki, whom he had approached to offer himself as a suicide-bomber.

The report stated: “Awlaki ultimately gave Pham approximately 6,000 euros ($A9,200) in case Pham had any unforeseen expenses during his attack preparation.

“Pham planned on using the money to rent a house in the UK to construct the explosive device and to purchase the chemicals and other materials needed for the attack.

“Awlaki instructed Pham to target the arrivals section of Heathrow international airport. In particular, Pham was to target arrivals from the United States or Israel. Pham intended to conduct the attack by concealing the explosive device in a backpack.”

The Heathrow plot was never carried out and Awlaki was killed in a drone strike in Yemen in September 2011.

Pham was extradited to the United States from Britain about a year ago, where he faces a possible 50-year jail sentence.

He pleaded guilty in January to terrorism charges in a New York City court.

The case, USA vs. Minh Quang Pham, is before U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan.

– TiVi Tuan-san