London Bombers' Identity Surfaced in Previous MI5 Inquiry

July 18, 2005 --

Forgotten Men Who Became Footsoldiers of Al Qaeda

The bombers' identity had surfaced in an earlier MI5 inquiry, but they were not thought to be a serious security threat. (The Times)

Pakistani Officials: Abu Faraj Al Libi Cells May Be Behind Attacks

A group that was led by al Qaeda leader Abu Faraj al Libi may have been behind the London attacks, Pakistani security officials told Asharq al Awsat. Al Libi was believed to be in charge of cells in Pakistan and others in Britian. (Asharq al Awsat)

Intelligence Officers Working On Phone List of London Bomber

British authorities have given Pakistan a list of telephones calls made from the house of one of the bombers in the attacks on London, intelligence officials said yesterday. (Reuters)

Egyptian Officials Urge Caution Over Arrested Biochemist

Egypt's interior minister, Habib al Adli, has criticized the British police for coming to "hasty conclusions" about an Egyptian biochemist who was living in Leeds and who returned to Cairo several days before the London attacks. (The Guardian)

Madrasas Mix Football with Support For Jihad

It is a long way away from Leeds. The only similarity was perhaps the washing, hung out to dry on the balcony of the mosque's upper storey. (Guardian)

Were They Suicide Bombers or Were They Duped?

Police were investigating the possibility last night that the London bombings were not suicide attacks. Senior officers said they were examining claims that the four bombers had been duped into killing themselves along with 54 fellow Tube and bus passengers. (The Telegraph)

Investigators Are Clear Who Carried Bombs, but Have Far to Go to Explain More

British officials are trying to determine whether four men believed to have carried out the bombings had financial or logistical assistance from inside Britain or elsewhere. (NY Times)

Kenya Holds 5 Men On Terrorism Suspicions

Kenya has arrested five men on suspicion of terrorism links after they were seen taking photos from a ferry, police sources said on Monday. (Reuters)

Bin Laden Aide Trained By KGB

Al Qaeda's number two was trained by Russia's secret service and served as a KGB agent before becoming Osama bin Laden's right-hand man, a former KGB secret agent told Poland's Rzeczpospolita newspaper yesterday. (Gulf Times)

Liberia's Former President, A Friend To Terror?

Did the U.S. miss a vital link in the terror network? (NBC)

Official Says Turkish Blast Was Not by Suicide Bomber

The explosion that killed 5 people and wounded 13 on Saturday in the Turkish resort town of Kusadasi was set off by a timer or remote control, not a suicide bomber, a regional government official said Sunday. (NY Times)

ID Cards' Worth Against Terrorism Questioned
The suggestion that a national identity card could help to combat terrorism is creating divisions within Prime Minister John Howard's Cabinet. (Australian Broadcast Corporation)

'Al Qaeda Man' Wins German Appeal

Germany's highest court has ordered the release of a German-Syrian businessman suspected of funding al-Qaeda, who was fighting extradition to Spain.(BBC)

One Day in Iraq: More Than 70 Dead

A suicide bomber ran towards a fuel tanker detonating explosives strapped to his body and triggering a massive explosion that killed at least 55 people and wounded 82 others near a Shia mosque south of Baghdad yesterday. (Sunday Herald)

Weekend of Slaughter Propels Iraq Towards All-Out Civil War

Suicide bombers have killed 150 in two days. (Iraq News)

Iraqi Panel Files Case Against Hussein

The first criminal case has been filed against former president Saddam Hussein for his alleged role in a 1982 massacre of more than 150 people, and he may be tried as early as September, the chief investigative judge of Iraq's special tribunal announced Sunday. (Washington Post)

Tube Bombs 'Linked To Iraq Conflict'

Thinktank says war boosts al Qaeda. Blair dismisses connection. (The Guardian)

Full Text of Chatham Report (Guardian)

Press Review: 'It is a battle for the heart of Islam'

Moderate Muslims are urged to tackle proponents of extremism. (The Guardian)

Iraqis Stunned by the Violence of a Bombing

Even in Iraq, where shocking killings have become part of daily life, some acts are so profoundly violent that the country seems to pause, trying to fathom what happened.

(NY Times)

New Muslim at 15, Terror Suspect at 19

When Germaine Lindsay, the 19-year-old man suspected of blowing up a subway train at Russell Square, took hold of Islam four years ago, he did so zealously, his friends say. (NY Times)

Guantanamo's Forgotten Soldier

few will remember Brig. Gen. Rick Baccus, who was sacked as commander of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (Gitmo), for coddling detainees. (Arab News)