 British and Saudi investigators are examining a series of phone calls, text messages and e-mails between leaders of the al Qaeda network in Saudi Arabia and unknown people in Britain from February to May for possible links to the recent bomb attacks in London or a still unidentified group of extremists operating in Britain, according to a Saudi official. After the July 7 bombings of London's transit system that claimed 56 lives, the British requested further information about the communications, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, and they are now part of the investigation. British officials declined to comment on the disclosure.
| Quite properly, too. Don't let the bad guys know what you're doing — even though we're interested. |
The possible Saudi connection is one of several lines of inquiry investigators are following as they seek to make progress in their hunt for those responsible for two sets of recent attacks in London -- the July 7 bombings of three subway trains and a double-decker bus, and an abortive attack two weeks later in which assailants failed to detonate explosives on an identical combination of three subway trains and a bus.
| So... Just who did Osman call? |
Despite their success last week in rounding up all of the suspects in the failed July 21 attacks, investigators concede they have not answered several key questions: Were the two sets of attacks linked?
| My guess is "yes," especially since the explosives were... |
How were they planned and financed? Was there a larger network of extremists, domestic or foreign, behind the bombings?
| Faisalabad and Karachi... |
And, most crucially, are there more attacks in the pipeline?
| Probably, unless the attackers come to the conclusion the heat's too high for success, in which case they'll scratch and attention will move to Denmark or Italy... |
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