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| Britain |
| 30 al-Qaeda suspects identified in London bombings |
| 2005-07-11 |
| Counter-terrorism officers involved in a massive police inquiry to track down those responsible for last Thursday's bomb attacks on London's transport system have identified about 30 alleged al-Qaeda fighters and sympathisers as the most likely suspects behind the attacks, the local daily The Independent reported on Monday. Among those fingered is the alleged mastermind of the train bombings in Madrid last March. The suspects are both foreign and British born, and the cell believed to have planned the attacks is thought to number from four to 12 people, the Independent said, citing unnamed anti-terrorist sources. It too early to know whether the terrorists responsible for Thursday's atrocity are home-grown British-born Muslim radicals, or foreign al-Qaida fighters, according to security sources quoted in The Independent. Anti-terrorist officers have used hundreds of pieces of intelligence collected, including phone taps and reports from foreign agents and police forces. Among the suspects being investigated is the terrorist believed to have masterminded last year's coordinated train bombings in Madrid, in which 191 people died and 1,500 were injured. Mustafa Setmariam Nasar, 47, a Syrian, is believed to be in hiding in Iraq, or on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. He is considered a likely suspect, because he has lived in London and has longstanding contacts there. He is also known to have organised terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. Spanish intelligence officers have flown to London to help investigators, and 100 senior policemen from 30 countries gathered at the Metropolitan police headquarters in London over the weekend to share information. Another suspect named by The Independent is Mohammed al-Gerbouzi, a Moroccan, who is wanted for questioning in connection with attacks in Casablanca and Madrid. He has been granted British citizenship but is believed to be in hiding in London. Al-Qaeda suspects are growing wise to how intelligence agencies operate and are taking counter-espionage measures, such as avoiding using mobiles and telecommunications that can be bugged, anti-terror investigators say. Detectives revealed that that three bombs on underground trains at Aldate, Edgeware Road and King's Cross had exploded almost simulataneously at 8.50 am. Technical data from London Underground showed there was a gap of about 50 seconds between the first and third explosion. The fourth bomb on a bus at Tavistock Square in central London, which killed 13 people, went off nearly an hour later at 9.47 am. It is unclear whether the bomber was still on the bus. Most terrorist experts believe from the initial details of the attacks that an experienced bomber with skills, probaby gained from an al-Qaeda training camp was involved. Lord Stevens, former Metropolitan Police commissioner, said: "We believe that up to 3,000 British born or British-based people have passed through Osama bin Laden's training camps over the years." On Sunday, three people were detained at Heathrow airport under Britain's controversial anti-terrorism laws, after being turned back from the United States. The men were not linked to the attacks and were later released without charge, police said. Last Tuesday, the radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri went on trial in London's Central Criminal Court on charges of soliciting people at his religious gatherings to murder non-Muslims, including Jews, and seeking to incite racial hatred. A final charge under the UK Terrorism Act alleges al-Masri possessed a document containing information "likely to be useful" to someone who was plotting an act of terrorism. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 I have read theories that TWA-800 was a terrorist attack timed to help gain a mis-trial for a terrorist on trial at the time in NY. It will be interesting to see whether Capt Hook tries to parlay the attack into a change of venue motion - if that's possible in the UK. May I suggest the Bronx as an acceptable alternative venue? |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2005-07-11 14:43 |