4th London suspect questioned
2005-08-09 15:37
London - The fourth key suspect in the July 21 attempted bombings in London underwent questioning in Italy on Tuesday, while a notorious firebrand Islamist cleric vowed to return to Britain - if the government lets him - from an unexpected trip to Lebanon.
Hamdi Issac, 27, an Ethiopian-born British national, was grilled by an Italian magistrate, Domenico Miceli, at Regina Coeli prison in the Italian capital with British police officers present, the ANSA news agency reported.
Wanted
He is wanted for attempting to set off a bomb at Shepherd's Bush subway station in west London, as part of a failed attempt to repeat the July 7 attacks on three Underground trains and a bus that left 56 people dead, including four apparent suicide bombers.
Three alleged accomplices appeared in a high-security court Monday in southeast London, charged with attempted murder, conspiracy and possession of explosives. They were remanded in custody until November 14.
In London, a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman would only say that specialist officers had gone to Rome in connection with the investigation.
"We confirm that Anti-Terrorist Branch officers have travelled to Rome in connection with their inquiries into the incidents of July 21, and that's all we're saying," she told AFP.
'Admitted involvement'
Issac, also known as Hussain Osman, was arrested in Italy on July 29, several days after fleeing Britain, apparently by Eurostar train to Paris.
He has reportedly admitted to involvement in the July 21 incident, which provoked fears of a sustained bombing campaign in London, but insisted the objective was to sow panic, not to kill.
The Italian authorities have charged Isaac with "international terrorism" and holding false identity papers. A hearing into a British request for his extradition is set for August 17.
Meanwhile, firebrand Islamist cleric Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, who has been quoted as supporting acts of terrorism, said Tuesday he intends to return to Britain after his departure for Lebanon during the weekend.
Bakri left for Beirut just before it was reported Monday that he was among a trio of Islamists who might face the little-used charge of treason - a crime punishable by life imprisonment.
Police and prosecutors are meeting this week to determine if treason could be used as grounds for prosecuting the most outspoken Islamists in the wake of the London bombings.
Speaking to BBC radio, the Syrian-born Bakri - founder of the now defunct Al-Muhajiroun group, who came to Britain from Saudi Arabia as an asylum seeker in 1985 - said he had gone abroad of his own free will to see relatives.
"I am going to return back in four weeks unless the government says we are not welcome, because my family is in the United Kingdom," he told BBC radio.
"I left by my own passport. I do not think I will have any problem returning back to the UK, but I do not want the government to use the presence of Omar Bakri to change the rules."
He sparked outrage last week when he said he would not inform police if he knew Muslims were planning a bomb attack on a train in Britain. He also supported Muslims who attacked British troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Bakri, who holds a Lebanese passport, arrived on Saturday in Lebanon, security sources in Beirut said, adding that he was allowed into the country without difficulty because he is not wanted for any offences.
Bakri told the BBC he believed that Prime Minister Tony Blair's government was using him to put pressure on Britain's 1.6m strong Muslim community, which is being encouraged to help police investigate the London blasts.
"I will never report to the police any Muslim because Islam forbids me," he added. "Definitely I would stop him whatever the cost, even if it cost me my life. That is my duty as a Muslim."