Habib Ahmed, 28, had allegedly downloaded a document called «a study of assassination» and looked at grenades and how to manufacture homemade bombs.

During his research, carried out in 2003, Ahmed had looked for the address of Mr Hoon and researched his constituency, using a computer at his home in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, it was said.

He had also looked at a web site which gave details of Sir Trevor Chinn, the chief executive of Lex garages, who was described in court as someone «close to Tony Blair who was then Prime Minister.»

Several military bases and senior policemen had also been researched by Ahmed, the court was told.

«This is information that is entirely consistent with searching for suitable targets,» said Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting.

Habib had previously looked at information which included members of Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorism squad, including its then leader, Assistant Commissioner David Venesss, and a further search had looked at Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, then head of MI5, it was said.

A list supplied by the Defence Housing Executive gave the addresses and phone numbers of military bases around the country, and another gave details of RAF Mildenhall and Lakenheath, described in the document as «proudly serving American military communities in the UK» while another contained details of Whale Island in Portsmouth, a Royal Navy training college.

Tony Blair’s friends were potential targets of terror cell, court hears