The speed of the British investigation into the four London suicide bombings only nine days ago has been quite startling. Despite the fact the forensic experts were having to deal with the gruesome remains of the killers and their victims deep in the capital’s underground network, within five days they had established for certain the identities of at least two of the bombers, had raided six addresses in the counties of Yorkshire and Bedfordshire and discovered two cars used by the attackers. These raids yielded significant quantities of homemade explosives and it seems a great deal more evidence that was also acted upon rapidly. As a result of one lead, the Egyptian authorities yesterday arrested at the request of the British an Egyptian biochemist, Magdi Mahmoud Al-Nashar in Cairo. Nashar had left his home in Yorkshire shortly before the London attacks.
The forensic investigation is likely to go on for many days yet, not simply for further evidence to assist the investigation but to make definite identification of the victims of the blast — a process which the London coroner has warned could yet take weeks. But now the inquiry moves into the intelligence stage as investigators draw together a mass of video footage, phone records, e-mails and other data to throw up information on the men who planned and organized this attack. Though the actual perpetrators were, to the great shock of the British Muslim community, native-born Britons, it seems very likely that those who organized them were from outside the country. There seems little doubt now that this was the work of Al-Qaeda and the belief must be that the vast quantities of intelligence data already held worldwide on its shadowy members, will eventually throw up the point where somebody interacted with the London bombers, whom British police have characterized as mere “foot soldiers”.
The British investigators have not however apparently had it all their own way. It has been revealed that an unnamed individual considered to be a low-level Al-Qaeda operative had entered Britain by sea two weeks earlier and left by air hours before the bombings. For some reason, he was not stopped. One of the unusual elements to this dragnet is the remarkable amount of information the British authorities have been releasing about the investigation. This may be a reflection of the strongly felt need to show to the public that they are reacting successfully to the outrage. However it remains uncharacteristic and it may well be that within the revelations so far made, there is an element of disinformation designed to throw their Al-Qaeda quarry off guard. Police chiefs have warned that London can expect a second series of attacks. Such a statement could be purely precautionary or it could stem from intelligence gathered since the onslaught nine days ago. Have police perhaps found out by already tracing the original innocent ingredient suppliers that more homemade explosive was created than they have yet discovered at suspect addresses? There has been talk of a planned lorry bomb. With young men prepared to throw away their lives, the current high state of alert in Britain may be no deterrent. However for the men of evil behind them, the massive dragnet may be of more real concern.
