Some terrorism specialists see the Hofstad members as radical misfits, braggarts and petty criminals, but not necessarily terrorist plotters.

Among the lessons, investigators say, is just how easily terrorist plotters can blend in with innocent foreign students in large Western cities like Hamburg, making their detection so challenging even when the police have them directly in their sight.

The videos of the "external operations chief" of the Yemeni affiliate of al-Qaeda have influenced every major terrorist plotter in Britain in the post 7/7 era.

"The verdict is an important milestone in safeguarding New York against terrorist plotters, whether homegrown or foreign," Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said in a statement.

The 200 British residents thought to be planning suicide attacks, either within the UK or overseas, represent one in 10 of the wider group of 2,000 terrorist plotters.

The document offers a rare glimpse into the minds of the most cunning terrorist plotters and of the kind of meticulous planning that lies behind their operations.

Doesn't the T.S.A. realize that a careful terrorist plotter like Mohammed Atta could figure this out and use his Saudi charity money to pop for round trips even if the return portion gets wasted?

Mr. McCarthy said he thought the Swift disclosure might encourage terrorist plotters to stop moving money through the banking system, depriving the United States and its allies of a valuable window on their activities.

Experts say it offers a glimpse into the minds of terrorist plotters and of the kind of meticulous planning involved in even a relatively simple operation.

These contradictions were among several that emerged from Mr. Siraj's sometimes rambling, disjointed and often angry statements, which also suggested that he has a grandiose view of his own talents as a terrorist plotter.