John Nuttall, accused B.C. terrorist, worried about Muslim backlash if too many children died in bombing

As time ticks by with no news of an explosion, accused B.C. terrorist John Nuttall becomes increasingly panicked about a potential Muslim backlash if too many children die in the legislature bomb plot.

Footage captured by hidden cameras and watched by a B.C. Supreme Court jury shows Nuttall becoming more and more agitated as the scheduled explosion time between 9 and 10 a.m. on July 1, 2013, passes.

"What if it goes off and kills a bunch of kids?" he asks his wife, co-accused Amanda Korody about the possibility of a delayed detonation.

"There are going to be Muslims hunting for us if we kill too many kids," he says. "Just pray to Allah nothing happens to those kids."

Video played Monday shows Nuttall pacing inside a Fraser Valley motel room the couple had been taken to by an undercover RCMP officer to use as a safe house.

Earlier that morning, Nuttall and Korody allegedly planted three homemade pressure-cooker explosives on the lawn of the B.C. legislature in Victoria.

The RCMP ensured the bombs were inert, the Crown has said.

Planning to leave Canada

Nuttall eventually starts to lay blame for the botched mission on faulty explosives, which he and Korody had acquired with the help of an undercover officer posing as an Arab businessman.

"It must be the C-whatchamacallit," says a clearly frustrated Nuttall over the phone to the officer, referring to the C-4 plastic explosive.

"Those timers were fine. I checked them 10 times. You checked them 10 times. They were ticking."

Video watched by the jury shows Korody and Nuttall stuffing clothes into black plastic garbage bags in preparation to flee.

Nuttall earlier told Korody the officer had secured a plane and that they would soon leave Canada, though he had not specified their destination.

At one point while cleaning the hotel room, Korody comes across leftover metal bits used to build the homemade explosive devices.

"He's going to kill me," says Korody about what she fears will happen when the undercover officer finds out. She proposes flushing the parts down the toilet, but Nuttall cautions her against it in case it clogs the plumbing.

The pair ultimately decides to dispose of the components later.

Sting operation

Nuttall eventually takes a call from the undercover officer who instructs the pair to meet him at a Burger King restaurant across the street and to leave everything behind.

Moments after video footage shows them leaving the Abbotsford, B.C., motel room loud voices can be heard as police make the arrests — the culmination of the sting operation.

Nuttall and Korody were recent Muslim converts and the trial has heard that they see themselves in the middle of a war between Islam and the western world.

The two accused terrorists previously told an undercover officer they were inspired by al-Qaeda propaganda and wanted to avenge what they viewed as the mistreatment of Muslims overseas.

The jury heard in previous recordings Nuttall saying he hoped the attack would hurt the morale of Canadian soldiers fighting Muslims in countries like Afghanistan.

Earlier, Nuttall said he expected the death toll to reach as high as 200 and that he harboured no regrets for the Canada Day attack.

Both he and Korody have pleaded not guilty to all charges.