bombers identified: 1 is somali, 1 is Eritrean, 2 remain
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:50 pm
Police seize car in hunt for bombers
James Sturcke and agencies
Tuesday July 26, 2005
Detectives investigating last week's attempted bomb attacks in London today seized a car thought to have been used by one of the bombers.
A white VW Golf, which had been under surveillance, was impounded by officers in north London soon after 1pm. It was seized in the Finchley area, at the junction of Strawberry Vale and Chambers Gardens.
Part of the A406 North Circular Road between Finchley Road and Colney Hatch Lane, has been cordoned off. Scotland Yard said no arrests had been made and no explosives had been found in the vehicle so far.
The car was seized a short distance from a block of flats in New Southgate that anti-terrorist officers raided yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Home Office said this afternoon that both named men being hunted by police for the attempted bombings on July 21 arrived in Britain alongside asylum seekers when they were children.
Both have been legally resident in the UK for more than 10 years, and one was given a British passport last September.
Yasin Hussan Omar, 24, is a Somali who arrived in Britain in 1992, aged 11. He was a dependant and was granted exceptional leave to remain in the country. In May 2000 he was granted indefinite leave to remain, a Home Office spokeswoman said.
Muktar Said-Ibrahim, also known as Muktar Mohammed-Said, 27, is a naturalised British citizen. He arrived in Britain from Eritrea as a dependant in 1992, aged 14.
Ibrahim was also granted exceptional leave to remain and in November 2003 he applied for naturalisation as a British citizen and was issued with his British passport in September last year, she said.
It also emerged today that Mr Omar was given £75 a week in housing benefit to pay for the one-bedroom flat where he has been the registered tenant since February 1999. His housing benefit stopped in May.
The New Southgate flat, on the ninth floor of a 12-storey tower block, is believed to have been used as a bomb factory by the team who unsuccessfully targeted the London transport network last week.
Explosives experts are examining material found inside. Neighbours said Ibrahim had also been staying at the flat and described seeing men lugging boxes inside only a few weeks ago.
Police have spoken to Ibrahim's father, who lives in north-west London as they look into the background of the bombers, but he has not been arrested.
Today the cordon around the tower block flat was widened and police searched lock-up garages nearby.
Detectives now fear there were five would-be suicide attackers on July 21.
Devices were found on a number 26 bus and on tube trains at Warren Street, Shepherd's Bush and Oval stations. A fifth bomb was dumped on open ground at Little Wormwood Scrubs in west London, suggesting a the final member of the team may have lost his nerve.
All the devices were placed in the same type of plastic food storage containers, each six-and-a-quarter litres in size with a white lid, which were then put in dark-coloured rucksacks.
Detectives are focusing on tracing the containers, which are sold by only around 100 outlets in the UK.
There have been no publicly confirmed sightings of the four bombers, who were captured on CCTV, since 1.05pm last Thursday when Ibrahim was seen getting off the 26 bus on Hackney Road in east London.
Police believe the bombers could have links with the cell that carried out four suicide bombings on the London transport network on July 7, killing themselves and 52 other people.
The family of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian electrician mistakenly gunned down by police, are in discussions with lawyers and may sue Scotland Yard.
Mr De Menezes was shot eight times - seven times in the head and once in the shoulder - by plainclothes officers who thought he could be a suicide bomber at Stockwell underground station last Friday.
The Treasury reassured victims of the London bombings today that they would not have to pay tax on grants they receive. More than £6m has been donated by the public and businesses to the Bombings Relief Charitable Fund to help bereaved relatives and the injured from the July 7 attacks.
The first grants - £5,000 to bereaved relatives and £3,000 to the injured who were hospitalised in the July 7 terror attacks - were paid out last week. They are to be topped up at a later date.
Special report
Attack on London
Related links
Newsblog: more reports and analysis
Eyewitness reports
Comment and analysis
In pictures
CCTV footage of suspects sought over the July 21 explosions
Images from the scenes of the July 21 explosions
Audio reports
21.07.05: Duncan Campbell in Shepherd's Bush
21.07.05: Vikram Dodd at Warren Street station
21.07.05: Patrick Barkham on the bus explosion
Map
Where the July 21 explosions happened
Full text
21.07.2005: Sir Ian Blair's statement
Tony Blair's statement
Other useful links
Transport for London
Metropolitan police
Mayor of London
James Sturcke and agencies
Tuesday July 26, 2005
Detectives investigating last week's attempted bomb attacks in London today seized a car thought to have been used by one of the bombers.
A white VW Golf, which had been under surveillance, was impounded by officers in north London soon after 1pm. It was seized in the Finchley area, at the junction of Strawberry Vale and Chambers Gardens.
Part of the A406 North Circular Road between Finchley Road and Colney Hatch Lane, has been cordoned off. Scotland Yard said no arrests had been made and no explosives had been found in the vehicle so far.
The car was seized a short distance from a block of flats in New Southgate that anti-terrorist officers raided yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Home Office said this afternoon that both named men being hunted by police for the attempted bombings on July 21 arrived in Britain alongside asylum seekers when they were children.
Both have been legally resident in the UK for more than 10 years, and one was given a British passport last September.
Yasin Hussan Omar, 24, is a Somali who arrived in Britain in 1992, aged 11. He was a dependant and was granted exceptional leave to remain in the country. In May 2000 he was granted indefinite leave to remain, a Home Office spokeswoman said.
Muktar Said-Ibrahim, also known as Muktar Mohammed-Said, 27, is a naturalised British citizen. He arrived in Britain from Eritrea as a dependant in 1992, aged 14.
Ibrahim was also granted exceptional leave to remain and in November 2003 he applied for naturalisation as a British citizen and was issued with his British passport in September last year, she said.
It also emerged today that Mr Omar was given £75 a week in housing benefit to pay for the one-bedroom flat where he has been the registered tenant since February 1999. His housing benefit stopped in May.
The New Southgate flat, on the ninth floor of a 12-storey tower block, is believed to have been used as a bomb factory by the team who unsuccessfully targeted the London transport network last week.
Explosives experts are examining material found inside. Neighbours said Ibrahim had also been staying at the flat and described seeing men lugging boxes inside only a few weeks ago.
Police have spoken to Ibrahim's father, who lives in north-west London as they look into the background of the bombers, but he has not been arrested.
Today the cordon around the tower block flat was widened and police searched lock-up garages nearby.
Detectives now fear there were five would-be suicide attackers on July 21.
Devices were found on a number 26 bus and on tube trains at Warren Street, Shepherd's Bush and Oval stations. A fifth bomb was dumped on open ground at Little Wormwood Scrubs in west London, suggesting a the final member of the team may have lost his nerve.
All the devices were placed in the same type of plastic food storage containers, each six-and-a-quarter litres in size with a white lid, which were then put in dark-coloured rucksacks.
Detectives are focusing on tracing the containers, which are sold by only around 100 outlets in the UK.
There have been no publicly confirmed sightings of the four bombers, who were captured on CCTV, since 1.05pm last Thursday when Ibrahim was seen getting off the 26 bus on Hackney Road in east London.
Police believe the bombers could have links with the cell that carried out four suicide bombings on the London transport network on July 7, killing themselves and 52 other people.
The family of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian electrician mistakenly gunned down by police, are in discussions with lawyers and may sue Scotland Yard.
Mr De Menezes was shot eight times - seven times in the head and once in the shoulder - by plainclothes officers who thought he could be a suicide bomber at Stockwell underground station last Friday.
The Treasury reassured victims of the London bombings today that they would not have to pay tax on grants they receive. More than £6m has been donated by the public and businesses to the Bombings Relief Charitable Fund to help bereaved relatives and the injured from the July 7 attacks.
The first grants - £5,000 to bereaved relatives and £3,000 to the injured who were hospitalised in the July 7 terror attacks - were paid out last week. They are to be topped up at a later date.
Special report
Attack on London
Related links
Newsblog: more reports and analysis
Eyewitness reports
Comment and analysis
In pictures
CCTV footage of suspects sought over the July 21 explosions
Images from the scenes of the July 21 explosions
Audio reports
21.07.05: Duncan Campbell in Shepherd's Bush
21.07.05: Vikram Dodd at Warren Street station
21.07.05: Patrick Barkham on the bus explosion
Map
Where the July 21 explosions happened
Full text
21.07.2005: Sir Ian Blair's statement
Tony Blair's statement
Other useful links
Transport for London
Metropolitan police
Mayor of London
..But some of us actually care about our Somali brothers and sisters. I know they've been killing eachother for a long time, but now, we are in qurbo. 
