The presence of “well-known name” Meggy Khan at a meeting in a Bradford café was assumed by police to be significant in the progression of a potential kidnap plot, a court has heard.

On the fourth day of an inquest into the death of Huddersfield man Yassar Yaqub, attention turned to events that formed the backdrop to a covert police operation which ultimately resulted in two cars being intercepted at Junction 24 of the M62, with Mr Yaqub being fatally shot by armed police.

The court heard evidence that tension had been mounting over missing drugs and that police were in receipt of intelligence that suggested a man called Kilal Sidat was at risk of kidnap and assault by Mr Yaqub.

On January 2, 2017, a meeting took place at Café de Akbar in Leeds Road, Bradford, involving Mr Yaqub, his associate Moshin Amin and Bradford man Mohammed Nisar Khan - also known as Meggy.

The court heard details of the surveillance operation, with an entry at 4.42pm stating that Mr Yaqub and Mr Amin, who had travelled to Bradford in a white Audi A4, had entered the café. Police observations suggested that a white VW Scirocco, which travelled to Bradford in convoy with the Audi, was parked on nearby Albert Place and still contained David Butlin and Rexhino Arapaj.

Questioning turned to the significance of Meggy Khan’s presence at the meeting.

Tom Little KC asked a senior police officer within the operation, known only to the court as Officer P, if police became aware that afternoon that also present in Akbars was Meggy Khan. Officer P answered ‘Yes’.

The inquest heard the police got intelligence from several different sources that Meggy Khan might be attending, but it was not until afterwards that they confirmed he was there when he was observed leaving the café.

Officer P said he believed that at least one person at the meeting were in possession of a firearm.

Michael Mansfield, (MM), representing Mr Yaqub's family, said Officer P knew of Meggy before January 2 and asking if he was a “well known name” and if there would have been a dossier on him, to which Officer P agreed.

Mr Mansfield asked why Meggy was not followed in any shape or form, with Officer P explaining that it was believed that those in the Audi and Scirocco had a firearm.

Officer P the told the court that a review undertaken by himself and another senior officer took into account information from numerous sources that Mr Yaqub intended to kidnap Mr Kidat.

The fact that Meggy Khan was present at the meeting, the assumption was that he would allow Mr Yaqub to go ahead with kidnapping Mr Sidat, Officer P told the court.

The presence of Meggy Khan suggested that he was effectively giving permission for action to be taken against Sidat, it was stated by Counsel.

Earlier, the hearing had heard that Mr Yaqub was the front seat passenger in one of two cars travelling in convoy on the M62 when four unmarked police vehicles surrounded them at junction 24 at Ainley Top, Huddersfield.

The inquest at Leeds Crown Court heard the four police cars had been “tracking” Mr Yaqub and his “friends or associates” before they travelled from Bradford to Huddersfield on January 2 2017.