Police uncover vital bombing clue

LONDON - Vital evidence in the hunt for the four failed suicide bombers was revealed after police named two of the terrorists.

Details of an unusual plastic container used to hold the homemade bombs in last Thursday's attacks on three Tube trains and a bus in London were released. Only 100 stores in Britain sell the Indian-made container.

The hunt for the bombers became even more urgent with the disclosure that there is evidence of a fifth terrorist who dumped his bomb and fled.

One of the men named was Muktar Said Ibrahim, 27, also known as Muktar Mohammed Said, who is suspected of trying to blow up a No 26 bus in Hackney Rd, east London.

Police raided a flat in north London yesterday where Ibrahim is thought to have lived. One neighbour said she had seen the suspect and another man bring large quantities of chemicals into the flat.

Police also named the bomber who tried to detonate his device on the Tube at Warren Street on July 21 as 24-year-old Yasin Hassan Omar.

The two men are thought to have been in Britain for several years, although they are believed to be of a Somalian background and their terror cell has links with east Africa. The Home Office would not say if they were in Britain illegally.

The Daily Mail said at least two of the suspects were believed to have entered Britain as asylum seekers and had received state welfare payments. The Sun said Omar had claimed 23,000 ($59,000) in benefits.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, the head of the Metropolitan Police's anti-terrorist branch, said the four aimed to be suicide bombers. Videos from the Tube and the bus showed each man trying to detonate his bomb. Police fear suicide bombers are likely to strike again and would be prepared to kill rather than give themselves up.

The explosive was placed inside plastic food storage containers that were then put in bags. The Delta 6250 containers are six-and-a-quarter litres in size and have white lids. Scotland Yard appealed for any shopkeeper who had sold five or more of the containers to any customer to contact police.

Brian Jackson, a US terrorist expert, said placing explosives in containers was a common technique.

The containers would have been used to conceal smells from sniffer dogs, widely deployed in London following the attacks of July 7. "Anything that you can use to keep it in, such as a plastic container, could reduce the release of these vapours."

Jackson said: "Bomb-makers can develop preferences. The IRA's various bomb-makers developed signatures for wood or plastic boxes or the wiring."

A fifth bomb contained the same explosive as the other four devices, which were also similar to the explosive used on July 7. The device was found in a west London park.

The investigation is focusing on addresses and associates of the bombers.

Detectives searched a flat at New Southgate, north London, where Ibrahim is thought to have been.

Sam Jones, 33, a resident of the 12-storey housing block, said she had seen Ibrahim carrying a large quantity of an unidentified chemical into the building with another man three or four weeks ago. "They were carrying a huge number of small cardboard boxes into the lift. There were about 50 in all. They said it was chemicals for stripping wallpaper."

Residents said Ibrahim had been a regular visitor to the block in the past two years, staying for weeks at a time. They said he shared the flat with three Somalians. The one-bedroom flat was occupied by a man in his 30s of Somali background who called himself George, was also known as Ismail and was said to have helped Ibrahim carry the boxes.

Jones said she had last seen George on Friday but she not seen Ibrahim for about two weeks. She had seen a third man of Somalian or Ethiopian appearance, who had been staying at the flat, clearing up a large amount of white powder spilt in the hallway outside the flat.

About 30 residents were yesterday temporarily removed to a community centre. Forensic science teams removed plastic-wrapped items.

Two men were arrested in the New Southgate area on suspicion of terrorism offences. Police are searching three other properties and are exploring whether the group was working with at least one man of Pakistani background.

- INDEPENDENT, additional reporting Agencies