Police search homes in northern England

LONDON - Police have searched five homes in northern England as a "significant" part of the investigation into last week's London bombings which killed at least 52 people.

Detectives from London, together with local officers from West Yorkshire, searched four properties around the city of Leeds under warrants issued under the Terrorism Act and were examining a fifth.

The searches were part of a pre-planned intelligence-led operation, a spokeswoman said but there have been no arrests at this stage.

"The searches are in connection with the terrorist attacks in London on July 7," she added.

An anti-terrorist police spokeswoman said the searches were thought to be "significant".

"We will be there for some time," she added.

London police chief Ian Blair told BBC radio the raids were "directly connected" to the bombings.

Leeds has one of the biggest Muslim populations in Britain. In May 2001, it was one of a series of northern English towns which saw rioting between Asian and white youths blamed on ethnic, religious and racial divisions.

Last Thursday's London bombs on the underground rail system and a double-decker bus killed at least 52 people and injured more than 700.

Tuesday's operation was the first reported swoop in what police have described as the biggest crime investigation in English history.

Hundreds of extra officers have been drafted in to help in the inquiry which involves examining footage from 2500 closed circuit television cameras around the capital and assessing information given by around 2000 callers.

Forensic experts are meanwhile attempting to reconstruct the bombs used from evidence collected at the scene to give them further clues about the attackers.

A senior police source told the Times newspaper that two bodies at the scene of the bus bombing had to be examined in close detail because they appeared to be holding the bomb or sitting on top of it.

"One of those might be the bomber," the source was quoted as saying.

Police said they would not comment on any aspect of the investigation.

- REUTERS