LONDON, 3 August 2005 — Police yesterday arrested two more people in south London — one in Clapham and the other in Stockwell, in connection with the on-going investigation into the failed 21/7 suicide bombings targeting London’s transport system.
Although the police are coy to give a running commentary about the progress of the interrogations, reports suggest that they are getting vital information in piecing together the jigsaw puzzle of events leading up to the attacks.
Some 20 people, mostly family members, associates and friends, are still detained under the Anti-Terrorism Act as police try to find out whether they had any knowledge of the plot.
But the wider hunt for those who planned the attacks continues.
However, their investigation has been hampered by the confirmation yesterday by Antionetta Sonnessa, the lawyer representing the fifth 21/7 failed suicide bomber, Hussain Osman, who is held in the top security Regina Coeli Prison in Rome, that her client has been charged by the Italian police with international terrorism, and possession of and using false documents.
Scotland Yard detectives, who on Monday formally handed over the extradition request papers to the Italian Justice Ministry officials, put up a brave face, already disappointed that they have not had a crack at interrogating Osman in his prison cell in Rome, and suggesting that the charges are merely “a local procedure” and that Osman hopefully would “be extradited to the UK within 90 days” because the charges he is facing in the UK are “far more serious”.
They emphasize the close co-operation between the British police and their Italian counterparts, especially on tracking the movements of Osman by following his mobile phone signals across Europe and using what is believed to be the latest triangulation technology which can pinpoint a person.
It now appeared that the police knew of Osman’s departure on July 25 to Rome on the Eurostar train from Waterloo station via Paris, Brescia and Milan.
In a way his flight has been a blessing in disguise, and has exposed many of his connections in Italy.
Italian police not only tapped into his phone calls but also recorded them.
One alleged call was to an individual in Saudi Arabia, which has led to renewed speculation in the UK that the attacks were planned in the Kingdom by a terrorist cell.
Scotland Yard is co-operating closely with Saudi police and intelligence in trying to identify the individual.
Italian police also maintain that 27-year-old Osman’s real name is Mahdi Issac, who hails from Eritrea.
Police have also arrested his four brothers including Remzi Issac who runs an internet café in Rome, and Fethi Issac who lives in Brescia, to find out whether they had anything to do with the London bombings or whether they are implicated in another cell operating from Italy.
The information, allegedly coming from Hussain Osman, held in the top security Regina Coeli prison in Rome, and quoted in the Italian media, is causing some concern that it may jeopardise a fair trial in the UK.
These developments comes at a time when Scotland Yard yesterday again warned Londoners not to be complacent, and stressed continued vigilance as a third wave of terrorist attacks remains a strong possibility.
Engagement Offensive
On the political front, Acting Home Secretary Hazel Blears yesterday launched the government’s community ‘engagement offensive’ aimed at improving community relations after the 7/7 and 21/7 attacks.
High on the agenda is security and rooting out extremism. Minister Blears held meetings in Oldham and Rochdale yesterday and will hold further meetings in other major UK cities over the next week.
This will culminate in a summit on Sept. 20 with Home Secretary Charles Clarke in which concrete proposals will be put forward about how the government can engage more with the grassroots in Muslim communities and how they can get their support through the proper democratic process.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke is also poised to launch a judicial inquiry into the plight and grievances of young Muslims in Britain.
The inquiry would be similar to the one conducted by Lord Justice Scarman into the plight of Afro-Caribbean youth in the early 1980s.
The Home Office is concerned about how young Muslims are being drawn into ‘Islamic radicalism’ through Islamist websites on the internet and through leafleting at a number of mosques.
Given that Britain has over 1,200 mosques countrywide, the scope of the problem assumes greater urgency, especially in the face of a continued terrorist threat.
Muslim Labour MPs such as Sadiq Khan support the idea of a judicial inquiry stressing that the extremism needs to be rooted out.
Many commentators are urging the government to include Britain’s 120 or so Islamic faith-based schools, both private and state-funded, as part of the inquiry.
