July 21 bombing suspect Yassin Omar has told a jury he disguised himself using one of his mother-in-law's burkas in order to flee from Golders Green bus station.

At Woolwich Crown Court on Friday, he smiled as CCTV footage was shown of him walking to the station, on Golders Green Road, with his wife, and said: "That's me. If I didn't disguise myself or go into hiding they the police would have shot me. The thing that came into my mind was I had to disguise myself in a veil."

The 26-year-old, of Curtis House, Ladderswood Way, New Southgate, said he did not explain the full story to his wife but told her they had to go away to Birmingham because his face would be on TV. He claimed his mother-in-law gave him the burka because she had several in her home.

He is one of six men accused of plotting an attack on London's transport network on July 21, 2005. All the defendants deny conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions likely to endanger life.

Having travelled from the station to Birmingham, Omar was found by officers at a property in the city on July 27.

He claims he was beaten up and verbally abused during and after his arrest. The court has previously heard how ing in the bath wearing a rucksack on his back.

He explained: "If I was to wear a bag they would think twice before they shot me. If I did that I would have a chance to explain myself and I wouldn''t get shot. They threw grenades at me, it burst my ears. They were shouting instructions to me. I thought they were going to shoot me, kill me."

Omar said he was shocked with a Taser six or seven times, hit with the butt of a rifle, punched repeatedly in the face, cut on the leg and dragged across the floor.

Earlier he had told jurors he did not expect the detonation of his device to cause mass panic among passengers.

He explained how he set off his hoax' as the Northern Line train entered Warren Street station, and said: "I stood next to the doors and pressed the battery to the thing and the detonator went pop. It was like a champagne cork. The bag broke. I quickly looked round and left the bag on the floor. I felt quite bad. My intention was not to do that to people. I knew it would cause disruption and alarm but I never thought it would be like a major panic."

He described how he then fled the station and tried to get a 143 bus to his wife's home in North Finchley, but was forced to walk because of slow traffic.

He claims the alleged suicide attack was a harmless protest to force the British Government to pull out of the war in Iraq.

The trial continues.