Four British men pleaded guilty Wednesday to an al Qaeda-inspired plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange.

All four defendants -- Mohammed Chowdhury, 21; Shah Rahman, 28; Gurukanth Desai, 30; and Abdul Miah, 25 --  confessed to plotting to plant an explosive device in the restrooms of the stock exchange.

Nine men were tried in London for the alleged 2010 Christmastime plot. The remaining five pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

All the defendants initially pleaded not guilty.

Although none of them were members of al Qaeda, they'd been inspired by the terror group and the sermons of the late Yemen-based, American-born cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki.
         
Prosecutors say the men, who were arrested in December 2010, were planning to blow up several prominent buildings in London.

"Their intention was to cause terror and economic harm and disruption," prosecution lawyer Andrew Edis said. "But their chosen method meant there was a risk people would be maimed or killed."
    
Sentencing is scheduled for next week.