London terror suspect arrested
2005-12-20 14:38
London - Police in London arrested a passenger on a flight from Ethiopia on Tuesday in connection with a failed bid to repeat the July 7 bombings in the British capital, the Metropolitan Police said.
In a brief statement, it said the 23-year-old man, who lives in Tottenham, north London, was apprehended at Gatwick airport "as he disembarked ... off an inbound flight originating from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia".
He was detained under Britain's main anti-terrorist law "in connection with the ongoing investigation into the alleged attempted bomb attacks on the London transport network on July 21".
"It is believed he had been out of the country since June 2005," the police added.
Five people have already been charged over the failed attempt on July 21 to repeat the bombings on three London subway trains and a double-decker bus which left 56 dead including four apparent Islamic extremist suicide bombers.
The July 7 attacks - coinciding with a Group of Eight leaders' summit in Scotland and a day after a euphoric London won the 2012 Olympic Games - were the worst terrorist attack ever on British soil.
Police said the man arrested on Tuesday was being held at a central London police station "on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2000".
Ethiopian Airlines runs a thrice-weekly non-stop service from Addis Ababa to London that would have been the one used by the detained men.
Prime Minister Tony Blair's government has ruled out an inquiry into the July 7 attacks, though his home secretary Charles Clarke is considering what intelligence could be released to the public.
The Sunday Times newspaper reported last weekend that British intelligence services had warned of a "high priority" attack on London's subway network more than two years before the July 7 attacks.
Four of the men accused in the July 21 attempt have been charged with attempted murder directed at London public transit passengers, while the fifth is accused along with the others of conspiracy to murder.