Cops follow 7/7 money trail
2006-01-08 19:53
London - British police are investigating how one of the four suspected London suicide bombers managed to amass a £121 000 fortune, The Independent on Sunday reported.
The newspaper said anti-terrorism officers were working on the theory that Shehzad Tanweer, who worked part-time in a fish and chip shop, could have been paid by a terrorist mastermind to take part in the attack on July 7 2005.
The 22-year-old, from Leeds, northern England, blew himself up at Aldgate Underground station, killing eight people and injuring dozens more.
Three other bombers struck on two other Underground trains and a double-decker bus.
In all, 52 commuters were killed and more than 700 injured.
Financial experts had looked into the backgrounds of Tanweer and his fellow bombers to determine whether they had links to money laundering or international crime networks, the Independent on Sunday said.
The investigation focused on financial transactions rather than the value of their assets, it added.
An unnamed police source was reported as saying that Tanweer could have acquired the money through gambling or by inheriting a property.
"We have got experts probing their financial profiles but this was a revelation to us," the source added.
"This will be looked into to see if there is any link with crime."
Revelations about Tanweer's estate - a net sum following the deduction of loans, debts and funeral costs - were made last week.
- AFP