London Police Nab 6 More in Blasts Probe

Yahoo/Ap ^ | 31 July 2005 | CATHERINE McALOON

[Grampa Dave]

London Police Nab 6 More in Blasts Probe

By CATHERINE McALOON, Associated Press Writer 19 minutes ago

Police arrested six people Sunday in the failed July 21 London transit bombings and were reportedly investigating the attackers' ties to Saudi Arabia and Italy, hurrying to track down any accomplices to prevent more attacks.

Key suspects were being interrogated in London in relation to the partially exploded bombs planted on three subway trains and a double-decker bus, police said, while authorities in Italy were pursuing contacts linked to suspected bomber Osman Hussain, arrested in Rome two days ago.

On Sunday, one of Hussain's brothers was arrested in northern Italy, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. He was not accused of terrorism, ANSA said.

Police discovered that Hussain called Saudi Arabia hours before his arrest, the Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported, and the Sunday Times said another bombing suspect went on a monthlong visit to Saudi Arabia in 2003, telling friends he was to undergo training there.

Police raided two properties in the Sussex region, arresting the six people at one location, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said. The six were being detained under anti-terrorism laws at a police station in Sussex.

The police spokeswoman would not specify the location of the raids or any further detail on those arrested. The four main suspects in the July 21 attacks are already in custody.

As investigators probed links to other attacks, Spain's intelligence chief dismissed the possibility that the London bombings were connected to the train bombings in Madrid last year that killed 191 people.

Alberto Saiz, the director of the National Intelligence Center, told the Madrid daily El Pais in an interview published Sunday that similarities between the attacks were limited to "their outward appearance" and the targeting of transport networks.

"At that point, the differences start," Saiz was quoted as saying. The July 7 group of London bombers was "small — just four people — less visible than the Madrid one."

"Two weeks later, they try a second episode of the same attack — obviously, the perpetrators are not the same," Saiz said.

"In contrast to Madrid, this gives us the feeling that they are coordinated with other groups or have direction from above, and that there is a plan," he added. "This is not an isolated group that decides to act on its own account."

Four arrests were made in dramatic raids Friday in London and Rome, helping to ease the fears of a British capital on edge since four suicide bombers killed 52 victims on three subways and a double-decker bus on July 7. The July 21 bombing attempts rattled Londoners, but took no lives.

Police were searching for those who may have recruited and directed the bombers and built the explosives while also probing for connections between the terror cells, one made up mostly of Britons of Pakistani descent and the other mainly of east African-born Britons.

In Rome, investigators were interrogating Hussain, 27, an Ethiopian-born British citizen suspected of trying to bomb the Shepherd's Bush subway station in west London on July 21.

Hussain was arrested Friday at a Rome apartment reportedly belonging to a brother after police traced calls he made on a relative's cell phone. Britain has requested his extradition for questioning, and an initial hearing was held Saturday.

His attorney, Antonietta Sonnessa, said the extradition process could take two months. She said no formal charges had been filed against Hussain, also known as Hamdi Issac, and said he was likely to fight extradition.

A brother, Fati Issac, was arrested Sunday in the northern Italian town of Brescia on suspicion of destroying documents sought by investigators, ANSA said. He was not accused of terrorism, the report said. Hussain reportedly told investigators the bombers were motivated by anger over the Iraq war.

A legal expert familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press in Rome that Hussain admitted to a role in the attack but said it was only intended to be an attention-grabbing strike.

Hussain told interrogators he was not carrying enough explosives even to "harm people nearby," the expert said, speaking on condition of anonymity because Italian law requires that the ongoing investigation remain secret.

Hussain also said the bombers had been led by a man called "Muktar," the Rome daily La Repubblica reported. "Muktar showed us videos with images of the war in Iraq," Hussain said, according to Italian reports. Suspect Muktar Said Ibrahim, 27, was arrested Friday in London. The Ethiopian-born Briton, also known as Muktar Mohammed Said, is accused of planting explosives on a bus in east London. The Sunday Times said he went to Saudi Arabia in 2003.

A second man arrested in London on Friday, who identified himself as Ramzi Mohammed, is suspected of trying to blow up a train at the Oval Station. Another suspect, Yasin Hassan Omar, 24, a Somali with British residency, was arrested in Birmingham on Wednesday. He is suspected of trying to bomb a subway train near Warren Street station on July 21. ___ Associated Press writer Frances D'Emilio contributed to this report from Rome.

[ohioWfan]

Cool. Methinks the British tolerance for terrorism and Islamofascists is on the wane....

[evad]

Like arrest one for every 5 Jihadist Terrorist arrested. Mayor Bloombergie would approve of that PC tactic.

heh..yeah, something like that.

The first non muslim they should arrest is Red Ken...or is he a muslim??.

I know he supports terrorism.

[Grampa Dave]

Disturbing the peace is fairly serious, but terrorism is at least felonious.

Look at the quote this Jihadist scumbag made in Italy:

""Muktar urged us to be careful" La Repubblica quoted Hussain as telling his interrogators. "We didn't want to kill, just sow terror."

Those last 3 words are omitted or edited by most of the reports on him.

[Grampa Dave]

The arrest of Red Ken and then sending him to some horrible British controlled isolated island would be a positive step towards insuring peace in London.

[RightWhale]

Terror is terror. Sometimes it seems we are terrorizing ourselves by periodic alarms about avian flu or unprotected nuclear power stations--doing their work for them.

[Grampa Dave]

The Guardian and a few other uber liberal rags in London and many at the BBC will continue to worry about the rights of the Jihadists while ignoring the death and destruction from Jihadist terrorists.

[Grampa Dave]

You are correct. That is why false terror reports shortly after 9/11 became acts of terrorism.

[don-o]

I don't know how those British cops operate, but they are good. Our guys should compare notes with them.

You got that right.

[RightWhale]

This is probably sci fi, but if the populace becomes alarmed enough they would accept, even demand, totalitarian gov't. 1984

[nicmarlo]

Neither has there been any arrests of those of American Indian descent, German descent, Dutch descent, Japanese descent....old women in wheelchairs, blond-haired, blue-eyes men or women, 8 year olds, teenage girls.......

[Grampa Dave]

Also no 4 and 6 year old grand children have been arrested.

So I guess my grandkids aren't terrorists, except the days the 4 year old decides not to take his nap.

[Blind Eye Jones]

No Buddhists, Hindus, Shintus, Christians or Jews arrested so far.
Arrest a few anyway..
it's only fair.


Yeah, you don't want to be accused by the multiculturalists of discriminating against a particular religion.

[evad]

Yeah, you don't want to be accused by the multiculturalists of discriminating against a particular religion.

Religi-phobia can be a scarrrry thing :)

[Miss Marple]

It is a good thing you live across the country from my 2-year old granddaughter. She is also a terror without her nap, and the thought of her and your grandson joining forces is a bit nerve-wracking.

Glad to see the British are rounding these scumbags up. Every arrest nets them more information. I woould bet cash money that pretty soon we will see arrests here, as contacts in the USA are uncovered.

[Grampa Dave]

He was bad at two. Now he is as strong as a bull and can be a real handful except for me and his Dad. It is amazing after a one to two hour nap, he awakens as a nice kid versus Terrorist Toddler before the nap.

[nicmarlo]

FOFLOL....I remember having two "terrors" at nap time. : )

[Redneck Limey]

"I don't know how those British cops operate, but they are good. Our guys should compare notes with them."

I am hearing this comment a lot lately. I find it interesting that only a few months back I read an article about some US cops that had spent some time observing UK police operations (don't recall where I read it). The US cops were quite surprised at the low case clear up rate of the British and their apparent out dated and unproductive methods.
I have no clue which police force is "better" and make no judgement.
Much is made of the British experience gained from dealing with the IRA. From my 36 years in the UK before moving Stateside I don't recall any occasions when they rounded up IRA cells with this effectiveness.

[Straight Vermonter]

If anyone gets the names for the ones that just got arrested please give me a ping.

The Terrorist Scorecard

Name	Function	Status	Location
London Bombers
Magdi al-Nashar	Egyptian chemist suspected of involvement in the 7/7 London explosions	At Large	Egypt is holding him but won't extradite him
Haroon Rashid Aswad(Aswat)	Possibly the planner of the 7/7 attacks	Apprehended	In Custody-Pakistan
Hassib Hussain	an 18-year-old suicide bomber responsible for the attack on a bus that killed 13 people	Dead	Hell
Mohammed Sidique Khan	30 year old responsible for the explosion at Edgware Road that killed 6	Dead	Hell
Germaine Lindsay	19 year old set off the explosion in King's Cross that killed 26	Dead	Hell
Shehzad Tanweer	22 years old set off bomb at Aldgate	Dead	Hell
Muktar Said Ibraihim aka Muktar Mohammed Said	27 y/o - tried to bomb the number 26 bus in London	Apprehended	In Custody-UK
Yasin Hassan Omar	24 y/o - tried to bomb Victoria line subway	Apprehended	In Custody-UK
Osman Hussain aka Hamdi Isaac	Placed a bomb on a Shepherd's Bush Subway	Apprehended	In Custody-Italy
Ramzi Mohammedt	Tried to bomb the tube near Oval	Apprehended	In Custody-UK
Haroon Rashid Aswat	Longtime associate of Abu Hamza-has ties to terror ops in UK and the US	Apprehended	In Custody-Zambia
Fati Issac	Brother of Osman Hussain involved in 7/21 plot	Apprehended	In Custody-Italy
Remzi Isaac	Brother of Osman Hussain involved in 7/21 plot	Apprehended	In Custody-Italy

[kayak]

Great chart!!! Love the "Location" listed for those who are dead ... ROFL!

[tgslTakoma]

I wonder, does Britain have an equivalent facility to our Club Gitmo, to house all the suspects they're rounding up?

We could sell franchises... Euro Gitmo is a catchy name.