the nefa foundation- the july 21, 2005 london transport bombings

The July 21, 2005 London Transport BombingsTransport Bombings

The NEFA Foundation

Josh Lefkowitz, Senior Analyst

July 2008

*Updated December 2008* (see slide 108-109)

The Bombers

• Served as “emir” of the bomb cell.1

• Born in January 1978; Eritrean.

• Moved to England in November 1990.

• Used the name Muktar Mohammad Said on his U.K. passport.

• Left his family in 1994. Family issued a statement following the bombings saying, “He is not a close family member. He has not visited here for many months ”visited here for many months.

• College dropout who associated with a gang and had a criminal record.

Pl d il i d l 15 ld• Pled guilty to indecent assault on a 15 year old.

• Committed street robberies.

• Imprisoned at Feltham Young Offenders’ Institute for five p gyears.

• Worked in market stalls; received government benefits.2

Muktar Said Ibrahim1) Sean O’Neill, “Muktar Said Ibrahim: From Robbery and Indecent Assault to Bomb Plot Leader,”

Times Online, July 10, 2007.2) “Profile: Muktar Ibrahim,” BBC, July 11, 2007 and Philippe Naughton, “Bomb Suspect’s Family

Speaks of Their Shock,” Times Online, July 26, 2005.

Met Police

• Served as second in command of the bomb cell.3

• Born in January 1981; Somali.

• Moved to England with his two sisters in 1992 at the age of 12. His parents may have been killed in Somalia.

• Placed in foster care until he was 18 years old. Lived with a Christian couple in north London.

• Studied science at Enfield College.4

• Participated in an engagement ceremony at Finchley mosque four days before the failed bombings.5

Yassin OmarMet Police

3) “Profile: Yassin Omar,” BBC, July 9, 2007 and Sean O’Neill, “Muktar Said Ibrahim: From Robbery and Indecent Assault to Bomb Plot Leader,” Times Online, July 10, 2007.

4) Sandra Laville, “Refugee Children who Turned Against Britain,” The Guardian, July 9, 2007. 5) Lucy Manning, “Tracing the 21/7 Bombers,” Channel 4, July 9, 2007.

• Born July 1978; Ethiopian.

• Real name is Hamdi Isaac Adus.6

• "Hamdi was a very good boy. I brought up all my sons including Hamdi very well. They were disciplined.” – Osman’s father7

• Left Ethiopia for Italy in 1992 at the age of 14 with his family.

• Moved to England in 1996 with his brother; claimed his name was Hussein Osman and that he was Somali in an effort to secure was Hussein Osman and that he was Somali in an effort to secure asylum. Succeeded in claiming asylum.

• Married8 with three children.9

Hussain OsmanMet Police

6) “Profile: Hussain Osman,” BBC, July 9, 2007. 7) Lucy Manning, “Tracing the 21/7 Bombers,” Channel 4, July 9, 2007.8) “Profile: Hussain Osman,” BBC, July 9, 2007 and Sandra Laville, “Refugee Children who

Turned Against Britain,” The Guardian, July 9, 2007. 9) Daniel McGrory, Stewart Tendler, and Sean O’Neill, “Captured - All Five 21/7 Bomb Suspects,”

Times Online, July 30, 2005.

• Born August 1981; Somali.10

• Spent time in a refugee camp due to civil war.

• Father was forced into a militia. To keep Mohammed and his brothers safe, his mother sent them to Kenya in early 1998.11

• Moved to England in September 1998.

• Spent time in the care of social services.

• Fathered two children with his Swedish girlfriend.

• Held jobs at a bar at Waterloo station, an American Bagel Factory store, and a merchandising firm.

• Received “indefinite leave to remain” in England in April 2005.12

10) “Profile: Ramzi Mohammed,” BBC, July 9, 2007. 11) “The Four Guilty July 21 Bombers,” The Daily Telegraph, July 10, 2007.12) “Profile: Ramzi Mohammed,” BBC, July 9, 2007.

Ramzi MohammedMet Police

• Biographical details are sketchy.

• Reportedly born in 1973; Ghanaian.

• Real name purportedly is Sumaila Abubakhari.

• Raised in a relatively well-off household. Worked with his family in agriculture.

• In July 2003, with money borrowed from his sister, who was living in the U S he purchased a false Ghanaian passport and living in the U.S., he purchased a false Ghanaian passport and bank statements.

• In December 2003, he flew to England on a six-month visa. Utilized the name Georges Nanak Marquaye.

• Then, he adopted the name Manfo Kwaku Asiedu. Asiedu was an individual who had stayed in the same house in which Abubakhari was living.

• Held jobs as a handyman, painter, and decorator.

• Lacked the outward religious fervor of his co-conspirators.13

Manfo Kwaku Asiedu Met Police

13) “Profile: Manfo Kwaku Asiedu,” BBC, November 9, 2007 and Adam Fresco and Sean O’Neill, “Last 21/7 Plotter Admits Role in Failed Attack,” The Times, November 10, 2007.

The Radicalization of the Plotters:The Radicalization of the Plotters:

The Role of Mohammed Hamid & Atilla Ahmet

• Born in October1957 in Tanzania to an Indian family.

• Also known as Mohammed Hussein Al-Quran.

• Served prison time for robbery; recovering crack addict.

• Turned to Islam in the 1990s Opened an Islamic bookshop in East • Turned to Islam in the 1990s. Opened an Islamic bookshop in East London.

• Ran a “dawah stall” in Central London. Worked alongside Muktar Said Ibrahim and was arrested with him in October 2004 following a dispute at the stallthe stall.

• Told an officer on the scene: “I've got a bomb and I'm going to blow you all up.“

• Intermittently attended sermons delivered by Abu Hamza al Masri at • Intermittently attended sermons delivered by Abu Hamza al-Masri at London’s Finsbury Park mosque.14

• Al-Masri was convicted in 2006 of soliciting to murder.

Mohammed HamidMet Police

14) Dominic Casciani, “The Radicaliser and the Bombers,” BBC, February 26, 2008 and Metropolitan Police.

BBCHamid’s “Dawah Stall”

• Born in England in March 1964. Turkish Cypriot roots.

• Married with four children.

• Youth soccer coach. Known as Alan Atilla.

• Converted to Islam Became known as Abu Abdullah • Converted to Islam. Became known as Abu Abdullah.

• Served as Abu Hamza al-Masri’s “right-hand” man and spokesman.

• Took over as the leader of the “Supporters of Shariah,” a group founded by Abu Hamza.15

Attila AhmetMet Police

15) Dipesh Gadher, “Hemza Hecnhman Defies Law to Praise 7/7 Bombers,” Times Online, August 27, 2006 and Metropolitan Police.

BBCAhmet and Abu Hamza

Excerpt from “Supporters of Shariah” Website

Close Associates

Hamid Ahmet

• Dubbed himself “Osama Bin • Claimed to be the "number one Al-London.”

• Claimed close ties to Afghanistan.

• Asserted he had helped associates fi h

Qaeda in Europe.“

• Boasted he loves Usama bin Laden “more than” himself.

A d A i “d d fight overseas.

• Stated, “As they wage war in our lands, you know it's halal [permissible] for you to do it here

• Argued America “deserved a punch in the nose” on 9/11.

• Said that because “you are attacking our people in Muslim [permissible] for you to do it here

[in England]…“

• Said that “fifty two” deaths in the 7/7 bombings are “not even a

attacking our people in Muslim countries, in Iraq, in Afghanistan…it's legitimate to attack British soldiers and

breakfast for me.” policemen, government officials, and even the White House.“17

16) “Terror Training Camps: Key Quotes,” BBC, February 26, 2008. 17) “Terror Training Camps: Key Quotes,” BBC, February 26, 2008 and Souad Mekhennet and Dexter Filkins, “British Law Against Glorifying Terrorism Has Not Silenced Calls to Kill for Islam,” New York Times, August 21, 2006.

• Hamid hosted meetings at his East London home h h d Ah t ld i th d f where he and Ahmet would -- in the words of

British police -- encourage their audience “to murder people who do not believe in the Islamic faith.”18

• According to the Met Police, “the group would [also] talk about preparing for life as fighters, discipline and training.”

• Hussain Osman and Ramzi Mohammed attended talks at Hamid's house.19

• Following the 7/7 bombings, Hamid text

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messaged Hussain Osman: "Assalam bro, we fear no-one except ALLAH, we will not change our ways, we are proud to be a Muslim and we will not hide. 8pm Friday at my place be there food an [sic] talk..."20

• Hamid was in telephone contact with Osman, Mohammed, Muktar Said Ibrahim, and Yassin Omar 21Omar.21

Hamid’s Living RoomMet Police

18) Metropolitan Police Press Release, February 27, 2008. 19) Dominic Casciani, “The Radicaliser and the Bombers,” BBC, February 26, 2008.20) “Terror Training Camps: Key Quotes,” BBC, February 26, 2008.21) “Man Admits Encouraging Terror Attacks,” The Guardian, October 10, 2007.

• As the Met Police explained, Hamid also “organised camping and paintballing trips involving military-style training in various parts of the United Kingdom. The training and discipline learned on the trips, combined with the teaching provided by Hamid and Ahmet and others, was preparing those taking part for Jihad ” 22taking part for Jihad.” 22

• British Prosecutor David Farrell argued that Hamid’s talks and camps were "a grooming mechanism for disaffected Muslim men slowly and mechanism for disaffected Muslim men, slowly and sometimes subtly, preparing them and radicalising for jihad.“23

• Farrell added that the camping trips sought to p g p g“foster within the participants that they were training for 'Jihad’ against the 'Kuffir’, or non-believers.” 24

Surveillance Photo of Hamid Press Association

Surveillance Photo of Hamid on a Camping Trip

22) Metropolitan Police Press Release, February 27, 2008. 23) Dominic Casciani, “The Radicaliser and the Bombers,” BBC, February 26, 2008.24) Duncan Gardham, “Suspect 'dubbed himself Osama bin London',” The Daily Telegraph,

November 11, 2007.

• British police officer Paul Burke has explained that he stumbled upon one of the camps in Cumbria, in England’s north west, while running on May 2, 2004; at

i i ithat time, he observed Hamid shouting orders at approximately 20 men, who were lined up and wearing small backpacks.

• When Burke encountered the same group on May 29, g p y ,2004, he saw “people running around and doing forward rolls. Some of them were holding branches or sticks as though they were carrying rifles.”

• A British law enforcement officer who was called in to • A British law enforcement officer who was called in to conduct surveillance on the group testified about tracking the men on a mountain: “They set off running down the hill in single file. It was like a forced march for stamina or fitness training.”

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• The following day, he watched the men practice forward rolls, which he assessed “looked like a military maneuver.”

An attendee at a Hamid-run camp leaps a river and practices forward rolls

• Hussein Osman, Ramzi Mohammed, Yassin Omar, Muktar Said Ibrahim, and Abdel Yahya (for more on Yahya, see the “Support Network” section) were all in attendance at the camp and captured by police

25 surveillance.25

Cumbria Met Police

25) Duncan Gardham, “July 21 Bombers ‘Trained at Cumbria Camp’,” The Daily Telegraph, October 17, 2007 and Metropolitan Police.

Muktar Said IbrahimMet Police Met Police

Ramzi Mohammed

Ramzi Mohammed (left) and Yassin Omar (right in hooded sweatshirt)Met Police

Yassin Omar Hussain Osman Met PoliceMet Police

Note: Osman’s young son also attended the camp. See:: “Wife ‘Knew About 21/7 Bomb Plot,’” BBC, February 27, 2008.

• Muktar Said Ibrahim also attended a Hamid-organized camp in Cumbria in August 2004 that was surveilled by MI5

Mohammed Hamid playing paintball BBC

that was surveilled by MI5.

• MI5 Agent 1259 reported: "There were about 10 males leopard crawling – moving low and flat along the ground. They were doing press-ups and sit-ups – hard physical activity – and there was an anti-ambush drill, reacting to effective enemy fire.”26

• Further, Hussain Osman and Ramzi Mohammed went paintballing with a group that included Mohammed Hamid at the Tonbridge paintball center on July 3 2005 27included Mohammed Hamid at the Tonbridge paintball center on July 3, 2005.

“Camping, canoeing, white-water rafting, paintballing and other outward bound type activities are of particular interest because they appear common factors for the 7 July bombers and other cells disrupted previously and since…It is worth noting that for some extremist activities – e.g. fighting overseas – physical fitness and resilience are essential. They [such trips] may also be used to help with bonding between members of cells already established or for more direct

26) Duncan Gardham, “MI5 ‘Filmed Muslim Terrorist Camp‘,” The Daily Telegraph, October 17, 2007.27) Adam Sherwin, “BBC ‘Took Terrorist Trainers Paintballing,’” Times Online, December 5, 2007.

trips] may also be used to help with bonding between members of cells already established, or for more direct indoctrination or operational training and planning.”

- Report of the Official Account of the Bombings in London on 7th July 2005,” House of Commons, May 11, 2006

Hamid Ahmet

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• Convicted in February 2008 of:– Three counts of soliciting murder

• Pled guilty in September 2007 to:

‐ Three counts of soliciting to murder28

– Three counts of providing terrorist training

• Found not guilty of:– Two counts of soliciting murder

– One count of providing weapons trainingOne count of providing weapons training and possessing a record containing information likely to be useful to a terrorist

28) Metropolitan Police.


The Role of Abu Hamza al-Masri

• According to prosecutors, Muktar Said Ibrahim and Ramzi Mohammed were both Ibrahim and Ramzi Mohammed were both “devoted follower[s]” of Abu Hamza al-Masri.

• One press report stated that “Mohammed • One press report stated that Mohammed was spotted by police surveillance officers at the cleric's street sermons outside Finsbury Park Mosque on January 9, January 23, and August 6 2004 where he was seen as part of the pofficial entourage, packing away prayer blankets and talking to other leading figures of the group.”29

• Yassin Omar and Abdel Yahya (for more on Yahya, see the “Support Network” section) also attended al-Masri’s sermons.

• Omar and Ibrahim were found to be in possession of al-Masri tapes.30

Abu Hamza al-Masri

29) “21/7 ‘Link to Cleric of Hate',” The Sun, June 9, 2007 and Sandra Laville, “Refugee Children who Turned Against Britain,” The Guardian, July 9, 2007.

30) Kevin Sullivan and Karla Adam, “Trial Opens in London Transit Bombing Plot,” The Washington Post, January 16, 2007.


The Role of Jihadist Propaganda

Searches of the Bomb Plotters’ Residences Turned Up:• Speeches by Usama Bin Laden Speeches by Usama Bin Laden • Speeches by Abu Hamza al-Masri• Speeches by Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal• “Caravan Of Martyrs” video• Footage of a suicide bomb attack on a U.S. military facility in Saudi ArabiaFootage of a suicide bomb attack on a U.S. military facility in Saudi Arabia• News footage of the 7/7 bombing• “The 19 Martyrs” CD-Rom• Dhiren Barot’s “Army of Madinah in Kashmir”• Explosives training footageExplosives training footage• Jihadist video of executions of “an apparent Egyptian spy, a Korean man, a U.S. electrical engineer and a CIA agent.”• Video titled “Islam - The Only Solution To World Peace”• “Dirty Kuffar” jihadist rap video31Dirty Kuffar jihadist rap video

31) Sean O’Neill, “21/7: The Trial,” Times Online, January 16, 2007, “Terror Police ‘Found 9/11 Speech,’” BBC, January 30, 2007 and “Death Videos Shown in Bomb Trial,” BBC, February 12, 2007 and “Profile: Ramzi Mohammed,” BBC, July 9, 2007.

Training for Jihad:Training for Jihad:

Sudan, Scotland, and Pakistan

• In addition to the Mohammed Hamid-led t i i i i C b i b f training sessions in Cumbria, members of the bombing conspiracy also trained for jihad in Sudan, Scotland, and Pakistan.

• 2003: Muktar Said Ibrahim trained with rocket propelled grenades in Sudan; he funded his trip by renting out his apartment 32apartment.32

• 2004: Ibrahim, Yassin Omar, and Adel Yahya traveled to Scotland together.

• A witness testified in court that “they were doing some training, but without weapons so they could prepare to go weapons so they could prepare to go to jihad in Afghanistan or in Iraq.”33

32) Kevin Sullivan and Karla Adam, “Trial Opens in London Transit Bombing Plot,” Washington Post, January 16, 2007 and Sean O’Neill, “Muktar Said Ibrahim: From robbery and indecent assault to bomb plot leader,” Times Online, July 10, 2007.

33) “Bomb Plot Accused ‘Were Fanatics,’” BBC, February 7, 2007.

Terrorists training with RPGs

• 2004: Specially Designated Global Terrorist Mohammed al-Ghabra allegedly assisted Muktar Said Ibrahim in procuring military training in Pakistan.

• MI5 agents tailed Ibrahim as he was driven to Heathrow Airport by Rauf Mohammed, al-Ghabra’s purported associate, on December 11. (Mohammed was later acquitted of terror charges.)34

Ibrahim and his t o companions Shakeel Ismail and • Ibrahim and his two companions -- Shakeel Ismail and Razwan Majid – were searched at Heathrow before their flight to Islamabad. Found with “£2,200 in cash, a military first aid kit in camouflage packaging and part of a first aid manual on how to treat ballistic injuries.” Ibrahim claimed he was attending a wedding.35he was attending a wedding.

• Ibrahim was in Pakistan from December 2004 through March 2005. He overlapped in Pakistan with 7/7 bombers Mohammed Siddique Khan and ShehzadTanweer, who were in Pakistan from November 14 –Tanweer, who were in Pakistan from November 14 February 8.

• While it is unclear if the men met, they returned with highly specialized bomb-making knowledge.

• According to defense attorney Stephen Kamlish, “the only two occasions on which the authorities in this country had ever come across an improvised explosive device made from hydrogen peroxide and an organic substance was the 7th of July and the 21st of July.”36 Terrorist training camp in North Waziristan

34) David Leppard, “Fixer for 21/7 plot free in London,” Times Online, July 15, 2007 and “Treasury Designates Individual Supporting Al Qaida, Other Terrorist Organizations,” U.S. Treasury Department Press Release, December 19, 2006.

35) “Police Hunted Suspect Before 21/7,” BBC, March 30, 2007.36) Sean O’Neill, “Leaders of 7/7 and 21/7 Plots Trained Together, Court Told,” The Times

(London), March 24, 2007 and “21/7: Was it Linked to 7/7?”, BBC, July 11, 2007.

Note: According to the U.S. Treasury Department, al-Ghabra, a naturalized British citizen, “has organized travel to Pakistan for individuals seeking to meet with senior al Qaida individuals and to undertake jihad training. Several of these individuals have returned to the UK to engage in covert activity on behalf of al Qaida…Al Ghabra is also in regular contact with UK-based Islamist extremists and has been involved in the radicalizing of individuals in the UK through the distribution of extremist media.”

Purchasing the Bomb Components

• Between May 9 and July 5, 2005, the conspirators bought 443 liters of hydrogen

fperoxide from three London businesses. Purchased 218 liters from one supplier.37

• On May 19, for example, Manfo Kwaku Asiedu purchased all of the hydrogen peroxide in stock p y g pat Hairways in Tottenham.

• An employee at the store testified, “When I asked what the product was going to be used

Met Police

for, I was told it would be for the stripping of wallpaper.” “When I suggested that this was a dangerous product to use, I was told it was no problem, that they had done it many times before and this was the best product for doing before and this was the best product for doing the job.“38

37) Michael Holden, “Militants Plotted Second Wave of UK Bombs, Court Told,” Reuters, January 15, 2007 and Metropolitan Police.38) “Bomb Jury Told of Peroxide Buying,” BBC, January 19, 2007.

Receipt from Sally's Hairdressers, Finchley for 120 liters of hydrogen peroxide on June 30, 2005Met Police

O J l 5 2005 M f A i d d M k S id Ib hi b h

Met Police

• On July 5, 2005, Manfo Asiedu and Muktar Said Ibrahim bought more than 200 liters of hydrogen peroxide at Pak Cosmetics. The video from the store’s surveillance camera was entered into evidence during the plotters’ trial.39

• Adel Yahya had also visited Pak Cosmetics about purchasing hydrogen peroxide; he gave the name “Yousef” to employees.

• A sales assistant testified during the trial that “he mentioned they wanted to buy it [hydrogen peroxide] in larger quantities…At a later stage, he said they were carpenters and they used it for washing g y p y gsome wood and stuff. He said they used it in building work.“40

39) Metropolitan Police and “Timeline: 21 July Bomb Plot,” BBC, July 10, 2007.40) “Bomb Jury Told of Peroxide Buying,” BBC, January 19, 2007.

P i h B bPreparing the Bombs

Yassin Omar’s apartment 8 Curtis House New Southgate North London served as the bomb factoryMet Police

Yassin Omar s apartment – 8 Curtis House, New Southgate, North London – served as the bomb factory

Note: In June 2005, Manfo Asiedu moved in with Yassin Omar. See: “Profile: Manfo Kwaku Asiedu,” BBC, November 9, 2007.

• Muktar Said Ibrahim oversaw • Muktar Said Ibrahim oversaw the production of the bombs.

• Hydrogen peroxide was boiled to 70% concentration.41

• Nearly 200 hydrogen peroxide bottles were found by police in communal bins at Curtis

Met Police

communal bins at Curtis House.42

Met Police

41) Sam Knight, “Defendant Turns Accuser at July 21 Trial,” Times Online, March 22, 2007. 42) “Bottles Found at ‘Bomb Factory',” BBC, February 1, 2007.

Hydrogen peroxide bottles found in Yassin Omar’s apartmentMet Police

The plotters utilized chapatti flour as an accelerantMet Police

Note: The flour was purchased on July 18, 2005 by Ramzi Mohammed and Hussain Osman. See: “Timeline: 21 July Bomb Plot,” BBC, July 10, 2007

MM

A cardboard tube packed with Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) served

as the detonator

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A flashlight bulb sat inside the tube and was connected

to a 9 volt battery43M

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as the detonator to a 9 volt battery

43) Sam Knight, “Defendant Turns Accuser at July 21 Trial,” Times Online , March 22, 2007.

• The explosives were placed into 1.6 p pgallon plastic tubs.44

• Washers, nuts, tacks, screws, and tacks were taped to the tubs.

• British prosecutor Nigel Sweeney d “Th i f commented, “The purpose is, of

course, to increase fragmentation when the bomb explodes and maximize the possibility of injury fatal maximize the possibility of injury, fatal or otherwise, to those in the vicinity.”

• The bombs were then placed in backpacks; the plotters hid the detonators in their clothes.45

Met Police

44) Kevin Sullivan and Karla Adam, “Trial Opens in London Transit Bombing Plot,” Washington Post, January 16, 2007.

45) Michael Holden, “Militants plotted Second Wave of UK Bombs, Court Told,” Reuters, January 15, 2007.

Asiedu’s unexploded device

Five Liter Pyrex Lab Bottle Yellow Glove Tubing

Bomb making paraphernalia discovered at Curtis House apartment

Met Police

Bomb making paraphernalia discovered at Curtis House apartment

Traces of peroxide were found on kitchenware at the Curtis House apartment

Met Police

Corrosion is evident on the stove’s control panel at the Curtis House apartmentMet Police

Corrosion is evident on the stove s control panel at the Curtis House apartment

Authorities linked the yellow residue on this Met Police

Authorities linked the yellow residue on this piece of furniture to the bombs

Launching the Attacks: The Final Preparations

• On July 15, 2005, Muktar Said Ibrahim reportedly tested a device.

• Throughout the evening of July 20 and the early morning of July 21, 2005, Muktar Said Ibrahim supervised the four other men as they constructed their bombs, sitting on bin liners at , gRamzi Mohammed’s residence.45

• The morning of July 21, Ramzi Mohammed, Muktar Said Ibrahim, and Yassin Omar drove to the Stockwell Tube in Mohammed’s car. The men the Stockwell Tube in Mohammed s car. The men then entered the station separately. Hussain Osman entered the Tube at Westbourne Park.

• Nigel Sweeney, British prosecutor: “After the 7/7 b bi it (i l di h ) bombings, security measures (including searches) had been instituted on the public transport system in the rush hour. No doubt to avoid this the five defendants decided to attack at around lunchtime instead.”

• Sweeney: “At midday there was a call from Mohammad’s phone in the Stockwell area to Osman’s mobile in Dalgarno Gardens. No doubt this was to synchronize the timings of those north

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li this was to synchronize the timings of those north and south of the river.”46

46) “Timeline: 21 July Bomb Plot,” BBC, July 10, 2007 and Sean O’Neill, “21/7: The Trial,” Times Online, January 16, 2007.

Mohammed, Ibrahim, and Omar enter Stockwell Tube

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Launching the Attacks: The Targets

Oval White CityShepherd’s

BushHackney

RoadWarrenStreet

Whit P id t Oval Office

White House

President Bush

• During the trial, when defense attorney Stephen Kamlish asked Manfo Kwaku Asiedu, "Did you think of any symbolism in the name of the stations?”, Asiedu denied the accusation. Muktar Said Ibrahim also argued there was “no plan” g pbehind the specific targets.47

47) “’No Symbolism’ in 21/7 Stations,” BBC, March 28, 2007.

• Mohammed wore a shirt with “New York” written it hi h di t t Ni l

Ramzi Mohammed: Oval

on it, which, according to prosecutor Nigel Sweeney, was "no doubt connected with the events of 9/11."48

• Angus Campbell, a passenger on the train, described what he experienced between the Stockwell and Oval stations while testifying in court: "There was an explosion. It was loud. My first

b i d I h d i memory was being cowed. I was crouched in my seat and I remember my arm being over my head…I remember looking up and I recall a man I know now as Mr. Mohammed was screaming and h i d h k i i f hi shouting and there was smoke issuing from his

back…I was shouting 'what have you done, what have you done?'" Referring to smoking debris on the subway’s floor, he said to Mohammed, “what is h ?" M h d d " hi i b d”49

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that?" Mohammed answered "this is bread”49

• Mohammed also was saying to himself, “this is wrong, this is wrong,” when the device malfunctioned 50

Ramzi Mohammed attempts to detonate his bomb at the Oval

station

e malfunctioned.

48) Alan Cowell, “Britain Tries 6 in Bomb Plot That Fizzled,” New York Times, January 16, 2007.49) “Mother Tells of Tube Bomb Terror,” BBC, January 30, 2007.50) Sally Peck and Matthew Moore, “72-Year-Old Ex-Soldier Chased Alleged Bomber,” The Daily

Telegraph, January 24, 2007.


Mohammed flees after his device fails to detonate

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Mohammed manages to escape after his device fails to detonateMet Police


Met PoliceThe train Mohammed attempted to blow up

Mohammed’s discarded backpack


The interior of the train Mohammed attempted to

blow up

The shrapnel Mohammed added to the device

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• Yassin Omar boarded a Victoria Line

Yassin Omar: Warren Street

• Yassin Omar boarded a Victoria Line train from Stockwell.

• Then, at 12:37pm, Omar attempted to detonate his bomb as his train was between Oxford Circus and Warren Street.

• The device failed and he fled.Yassin Omar waiting on the platform

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The interior of the train Omar attempted to blow up

Police


The interior of the train Omar attempted to blow up

Omar’s discarded device; the substance was so potent “it burnt through two layers of gloves

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blow up potent it burnt through two layers of gloves worn by one of the forensic experts on the

scene.”51

51) Alan Cowell, “Britain Tries 6 in Bomb Plot That Fizzled,” New York Times, January 16, 2007.

Yassin Omar: Warren StreetM

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Omar’s discarded backpack Items in Omar’s discarded backpack

e


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Yassin Omar flees the scene of the bombing

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Hussain Osman: Shepherd’s Bush

• As the Met Police explained, Hussain Osman “detonated his device on [the] Hammersmith and City line train…between Latimer Road and Shepherd's Bush underground stations ”and Shepherd s Bush underground stations.

• A woman on the train testified in court that she heard a noise and saw Osman fall on his b k Sh id “h i i i lik J back. She said, “he was in a position like Jesus when nailed to the cross, with his arms out to the sides.“

• Another witness testified that Osman then failed in his effort to climb on the train’s roof and jumped onto the tracks instead: “It was like he was strolling in the park.”52

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like he was strolling in the park.

Hussain Osman enters WestbournePark station

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52) “Bomb Plot Suspect ‘Strolled Away,” BBC, January 26, 2007.


Me

The interior of the train Osmanattempted to blow up

Osman’s discarded bag

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Items in Osman’s discarded backpack

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Osman and female Osman and female

Items in Osman s discarded backpack


O ’ b hi d

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Items in Osman’s discarded backpack

Hussain Osman Osman’s gym membership card (front and back)

• Muktar Said Ibrahim took a train from Stockwell to Bank station and boarded a

Muktar Said Ibrahim: Hackney Road

number 26 bus. He took a seat on the top level and, shortly after 1pm, attempted to detonate his device on Shoreditch High Street, near Hackney Road Although the detonator Hackney Road. Although the detonator functioned, the main charge failed.51

• The bus driver, Mark Maybanks, testified in court that a "loud bang" made him think he court that a loud bang made him think he had been in a traffic accident.

• Upon further investigation, he discovered Ibrahim’s backpack "oozing out of the sides ”Ibrahim s backpack oozing out of the sides.

• Ibrahim fled the bus.52

M kt S id Ib hi th M

et Police

Muktar Said Ibrahim on the number 26 bus

51) Sean O'Neil, “21/7: The Trial,” The Times, January 16, 2007.52) “’Bus Bomb Bid’ CCTV Show to Jury,” BBC, January 29, 2007.

Muktar Said Ibrahim: Hackney RoadM

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The interior of the number 26 bus Muktar Said Ibrahim attempted to

blow up

Ibrahim’s discarded device

Manfo Kwaku Asiedu: Little Wormword Scrubs

• Asiedu “lost his nerve at the last moment,” according to British prosecutors.

• He purportedly was to attack the White City subway station.

• Asiedu left his bomb in a wooded area in Little Wormwood Scrubs in west London.53

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l Asiedu with his device

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Manfo Asiedu’s discarded device

53) Metropolitan Police and “21/7 Suspect ‘Desperate Man,” BBC, May 11, 2007.

Asiedu with his device

The Aftermath: Police Appeal for Assistance

• At a press conference the day after the failed bombings, Metropolitan Police Service Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said: “This is the greatest operational challenge ever faced by the Metropolitan Police Service ”the Metropolitan Police Service.

• Metropolitan Police Service Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman added, “I am urgently seeking the public's assistance… Do you recognise any of these men? Did you see them at the three underground stations or on the three underground stations or on the bus? Did you see them at a different location? Did you see these men together before or after the incidents?Did th ith Did you see them with anyone else?”54

Poster issued by police on July 22nd

54) “Police Release CCTV Images,” Metropolitan Police Service Press Release, July 22, 2005.

Pictures released to the public by the Metropolitan PoliceMet Police

The Aftermath: The Killing of Jean Charles de Menezes

• In the definitive account of the incident, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) reported that “at 10:06hrs on Friday 22 July 2005 reported that at 10:06hrs on Friday 22 July 2005 during the course of a major Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist operation…a number of undercover surveillance officers…and a number of armed firearms officers…followed Jean Charles De Menezes onto the

hb d N h Li l f S k ll

BBC

northbound Northern Line platform at Stockwell Underground station. Mr De Menezes had been under surveillance since 09:33hrs that morning when he left a block of flats at 21 Scotia Road, London, SW 21. Mr De Menezes stepped into the third coach of a BBC ppstationary train and within moments two…officers, aiming at his head, shot and killed him. It was their professed belief that he was a suicide bomber.”

• The IPCC added that “De Menezes had been The IPCC added that De Menezes had been followed from 21 Scotia Road in the erroneous belief that he was one Hussain Osman, a man suspected of having been responsible for a failed suicide bomb attack at Shepherds Bush underground station the

i d J Ch l D M h d thi

A composite image of Hussain Osman and

CPS/Press Association

previous day. Jean Charles De Menezes had nothing to do with terrorism and was, at the time of his death, travelling to work from his home address. He was unarmed; he was not carrying an explosive device.”55

A composite image of Hussain Osman and Jean Charles de Menezes

55) “Investigation into the Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell Underground Stationon 22 July 2005,” Independent Police Complaints Commission January 26, 2006.

The Aftermath: The Bombers’ Flight and Capture

Yassin Omar

• On July 22, Yassin Omar traveled to Birmingham by bus.

• He was disguised in a black burqa, which he took from his mother-in law. He testified during his trial that she g“had lots of them.”56

Omar at Digbeth Coach Station, Birmingham on July 22nd

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Birmingham on July 22

56) “I Fled Police in My Mother-in-Law's Burka, Says 21/7 Bombing Suspect,” The Evening Standard, May 4, 2007.

Yassin Omar

• At 5:00am on July 27, police raided a home on Heybarnes Road in Birmingham.

• Police lobbed stun grenades into each room.

• Omar was standing in a bathtab wearing a backpack. Omar testified, “If they saw I had a rucksack on me then they would think twice before they shot me, and it worked. Allah

d li ti ”House on Heybarnes Road, Birmingham

at which Omar was arrested

answered my supplication.”

• Police feared that he had a bomb and a violent struggle ensued.

• Omar was tasered, while another officer punched him as hard as he could in the face.

• One officer testified “In all honesty I still • One officer testified, In all honesty, I still don't know to this day how I did not shoot him…I brought the point of my aim to the back of his head, during which time his hands disappeared towards his chest...I

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Bathtub in which Omar was standing when he was arrested

formed the opinion that I was going to have to shoot this man.”57

57) “Police ‘Almost Shot' 21/7 Suspect,” BBC, February 19, 2007 and “'Allah Instructed' 21/7 Suspect ,” BBC, May 10, 2007.

Yassin Omar

Garden at Heybarnes Road Garden at Heybarnes Road

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Items in the backpack Omar was wearing at the time of his arrest

Bucket Cell phone charger Islamic tapes Islamic tapes

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Hussain Osman

• After failing to detonate his bomb and jumping g j p gonto the train tracks, Hussain Osman entered the house of Mellinda and Lola Henry, whose house sits next to rail lines.

After climbing in their dining room window he • After climbing in their dining room window, he told them he was “just passing through.”

• He then took a bus from North Pole Road, west London to Wandsworth, south London.58

• That same day, Osman traveled to Brighton by car. He spent two days there.

• Upon returning to London, he spent the next 72 h i hi R 72 hours mapping out his escape to Rome, where his brother resided.

• On July 26, he traveled to Paris on the Eurostar; he then continued on to Rome.

• He was arrested in Rome on July 29th.59

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58) “Bomb Plot Suspect ‘Strolled Away’,” BBC, January 26, 2007.59) “Terror Suspect Shown ‘Fleeing' UK,” ITV, March 8, 2007.

Osman’s escape on July 21st captured on CCTV

Hussain OsmanM

et Police

Osman at Brighton Railway station on July 23rd Osman at Waterloo station on July 25th

Hussain Osman

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Osman’s Paris to Rome ticketOsman’s Waterloo to Paris ticket

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Hussain Osman

Osman’s bag seized in Rome The camcorder had no memory card; th iti b li it d t d

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authorities believe it was used to record martyrdom videos60

60) “Terror Suspect Shown ‘Fleeing' UK,” ITV, March 8, 2007 and “Accomplices to Terror,” BBC, February 4, 2008.

Ramzi Mohammed and Muktar Said Ibrahim

• After the failed bombings Ramzi • After the failed bombings, Ramzi Mohammed and Muktar Said Ibrahim went into hiding at Mohammed’s apartment: Flat14, Block K, Dalgarno Gardens.

• On July 29th, police tracked them down. down.

• When the men did not respond to attempts to negotiate, the front door

bl ff d CS th was blown off and CS gas was thrown inside.

• Mohammed and Ibrahim were arrested after a 2½ hour siege that was partially captured on police videotape.61

M

61) “21/7 Suspects Arrest Video Shown ,” BBC, February 21, 2007.

The shattered door at Dalgarno Gardens

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R i M h d d M kt S id Ib hiRamzi Mohammed and Muktar Said IbrahimM

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Stills from the police video of the arrest of Mohammed and Ibrahim

Ramzi Mohammed and Muktar Said IbrahimM

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The terrace on which Mohammed and Ibrahim were arrested

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A homemade spear consisting of knives, a mop handle, and shoelace; the weapon was never used on police

See: Philippe Naughton, “Four Convicted over 21/7 Bomb Plot,” Times Online, July 9, 2007.


The interior of the Dalgarno Gardens apartment

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The interior of the Dalgarno Gardens apartment

ce

Ramzi Mohammed and Muktar Said IbrahimRamzi Mohammed and Muktar Said Ibrahim

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Headband possibly used in bombers’ martyrdom video, which was never found

Banner possibly used in bombers’ martyrdom video, which was never found

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Items found inside the Dalgarno Gardens apartment


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Item found inside the Dalgarno Gardens apartment

Suicide note written by Ramzi Mohammed

Police

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Text of Ramzi Mohammed’s suicide note

"First of all I beg Allah to accept this action from me and he to Allah to whom belongs the power and majesty makes it a sincere one and that he admits me to the highest station in paradise for verily he grants martyrdom to whom ever he p y g ywills.”

“Secondly my family don't cry for but instead rejoice in happiness and love what I have done for the sake of Allah for he loves those who fight in his sake ”for he loves those who fight in his sake.

“I pray to Allah the mighty that he keeps your heart sealed to this religion. My family practice your religion and hold tight to the rope of Allah and don't let go. Pray your five daily prayers so that you may be saved from hell and by the permission of Allah I may intercede for you, if he Allah allows to whom belongs the power and the majesty.”

“My children be good Muslims and obey your mother. Pray

Suicide note written by R i M h d

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My children be good Muslims and obey your mother. Pray your prayers and read Quran. Adam look after your little brother Malik and we shall meet again in paradise god willing. May Allah keep your mothers heart sealed to this religion. Praise be upon you. Gods blessing and mercy.“62

Ramzi Mohammed-- Ramzi Mohammed

62) “London Bomb Suspect's Suicide Note,” Reuters, July 9, 2007.

• After dumping his device in Little Wormword Scrubs Asiedu boarded the

Manfo Kwaku Asiedu

Wormword Scrubs, Asiedu boarded the number 94 bus on Goldhawk Road at approximately 1:30pm.

• He rode the bus for nearly 70 minutes and exited near Oxford Circus.

• He then entered Funland where he was • He then entered Funland, where he was confronted by security who searched his bag. After the search, he left and walked towards Piccadilly Circus.

• On July 22nd, he worked with Ibrahim and Omar to clean up the Curtis House apartment and hide all evidence of bomb

Asiedu at Funland located in

apartment and hide all evidence of bomb making.

• Asiedu turned himself in to police on July 26th 63

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Asiedu at Funland, located in Trocadero Center, London

26th.63

63) “’Fifth Bomber’ Went to Arcade,” BBC, March 16, 2007. and “Timeline: 21 July Bomb Plot,” BBC, July 10, 2007.

The Trial of the Bombers

Y i O ifi d "I hi ki f h ' i Th b

The Fake Bomb/ Iraq Protest Defense

• Yassin Omar testified: "I was thinking of some way to get the government's attention. The best example was Fathers4Justice and I thought I would try something like that…Since Fathers4Justice used flour we decided we were going to use flour as well - that's where the idea came from." (Fathers4Justice threw purple flour at the Prime Minister in May 2004).

• Omar: “I intended the detonator to go off and only to make a popping noise…It happened exactly as I expected.”

• Omar: "I hoped that this would be televised, would be shown on TV and taken seriously and that would put pressure on the government after they realized that people have gone and that would put pressure on the government after they realized that people have gone to these lengths just to do a demonstration on Iraq...In due course the public would be talking about it and put pressure on the government…We hoped that the government would change its foreign policy and pull troops out of this illegal war.”64

• When asked whether he intended to use viable explosives, Muktar Said Ibrahim said, “No, just something like a firework, a firecracker - something that would make noise and cause panic.” Regarding his goal, Ibrahim said, "To end the occupation.” The planning purportedly began in September 2004.

• He added, “I didn't think that I would be in that much trouble.”

• Ibrahim admitted he and Mohammed synchronized their stories in the event of their capture.65

64) “Fathers’ Protest ‘Isnpired 21/7’,” BBC, May 3, 2007 and “21 July Suspect ‘Meant No Harm',” BBC, May 3, 2007.65) Matt Weaver and agencies, “July 21 Attacks Planned Year Before, Court Hears,” The Guardian, March 19, 2007.

• The prosecution countered by demonstrating that the bombs were, in fact, highly viable. All four of the TATP detonators fired successfully but the main charge failed.

• Explosives expert Claire McGavigan testified that the explosive was as powerful as TNT and the bombs could have fired shrapnel at "hundreds of meters a second.”

• According to McGavigan, “it appears that the most likely reason was that the initiator containing the TATP wasn't actually powerful enough to set off the main charge…”66g

• Prosecutor Nigel Sweeney added “it was simply the good fortune of the traveling public that they were spared.”67

66) “Bomb Material ‘As Strong as TNT' ,” BBC, January 24, 2007 and Michael Holden, “Militants Plotted Second Wave of UK Bombs, Court Told,” Reuters, January 15, 2007.

67) Kevin Sullivan and Karla Adam, “Trial Opens in London Transit Bombing Plot,” Washington Post, January 16, 2007.

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The Defense, Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) carried out tests on explosives similar to those utilized on 7/21; this is the DSTL test site in Kent.

Notably, the DSTL did not use TATP because, as one expert testified, “No-one at Notably, the DSTL did not use TATP because, as one expert testified, No one at this point in the world had actually tried putting an improvised detonator

containing TATP in an improvised explosive mixture - it's just too dangerous."

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The tests carried out by the Defense, Science and Technology Laboratory

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The scene following a DSTL test The base-plate used in the DSTL test

Manfo Kwaku Asiedu’s Defense

• Asiedu claimed during his testimony that he only learned his co-conspirators were planning a suicide attack on July 21, 2005. He testified, “I was not aware of any plan at all, whether it was suicide bombing or not suicide bombing.“ He turned against his co-defendants on the stand, blaming Muktar Said Ibrahim for manipulating him into believing the bombs would be hoax devices.

• He asserted he assisted with the bomb making because he was "terrified" and acting "just like a zombie" • He asserted he assisted with the bomb making because he was terrified and acting just like a zombie .

• When he surrendered to police, he told a series of lies, “including not telling them his real name, religion or background, about buying the peroxide or what he did after the ‘attacks’ had failed.”

• He admitted, “It is unbelievable when I look back at these lies...I lied about the whole day of July 21.”y y

• He further claimed he returned to the Curtis House apartment and dismantled a boobytrap piece of furniture that had been lined with explosives.

• Prosecutor Max Hill challenged Asiedu's integrity: "Asiedu waited until the end of the Crown's evidence before revealing what he now says is his truthful account as to the real suicide and murder plot He was content to sit revealing what he now says is his truthful account as to the real suicide and murder plot…He was content to sit and wait through week after week of prosecution evidence, seeing, you may think, whether the case did indeed stand up…They are desperate men and desperate men will do anything if they perceive it to be in their own interest."68

• And the Metropolitan Police said, “he was actively involved in this conspiracy: he helped to purchase large f h d id hi h d i h d i d h 21 J l i hi b b i amounts of hydrogen peroxide, which was used in the devices and set out on the 21 July carrying his bomb in a

rucksack. He is a dedicated terrorist who consistently lied about the role he played in this plot.69

• Prosecutor Nigel Sweeney said Asiedu was chosen to buy the hydrogen peroxide because he was “the best liar amongst the group.”70

68) “Defendant Turns Accuser at July 21 Trial,” Times Online, March 22, 2007 and “21/7 Suspect ‘Lied on Epic Scale’,” BBC, April 27, 2007 and “Profile: Manfo Kwaku Asiedu,” BBC, November 9, 2007.

69) “21/7 Bomb Conspirator Jailed,” Metropolitan Police Service Press Release, November 20, 2007. 70) “21/7 Suspect ‘Lied on Epic Scale’,” BBC, April 27, 2007.

The Verdicts

Five Convictions

• Muktar Said Ibrahim, Yassin Omar, Ramzi Mohammed, and Hussain Osman were convicted of conspiracy to murder in July 2007 and sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison before they can seek parole.71

A j bl t h di t th h f i t d f M f K k • A jury was unable to reach a verdict on the charge of conspiracy to murder for Manfo Kwaku Asiedu.

• On November 9, 2007, before he could face a retrial, he pled guilty to conspiracy to cause explosions likely to endanger life. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison.72p y g y p

“Exactly two weeks after the terrorist attacks on 7/7 these men targeted the same transport system and tried to cause the same level of death and destruction. They knew what would happen; they had seen the devastation produced by 7/7 and the fact that they continued with their plan shows their brutal intent ”the fact that they continued with their plan shows their brutal intent.

- Susan Hemming, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service Counter Terrorism Division

“These men obviously set out to replicate the horrors that had been inflicted on Londoners on 7 July 2005. But this was no spur of the moment plan it had been hatched over several months They failed to set off their bombs not through want spur of the moment plan - it had been hatched over several months. They failed to set off their bombs - not through want of trying.”

- Peter Clarke, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Metropolitan Police Service

71) “Four 21/7 Terrorists Guilty of Murder Conspiracy,” Crown Prosecution Service Press Release, July 11, 2007. 72) “21/7 Bomb Conspirator Jailed,” Metropolitan Police Service Press Release, November 20, 2007.

The Support Network

• Born in September 1982 in Ethiopia. Raised in Yemen.

• Moved to England in 1991 with his sister.

• In 2004, he married in Yemen.

• Attended Southgate College and London Metropolitan University. Pursued a degree in computer networking.

• Met Yassin Omar at school.

• Attended lectures by Abu Hamza al-Masri at Finsbury Park mosque with Omar.

• Attended the May 2004 trip to the Cumbria training camp.

• As the BBC explains, “Yahya was tasked with identifying the best sources of concentrated hydrogen peroxide…He visited a cosmetics shop in Finsbury Park, north London, twice in May and June 2005, to make inquiries about hydrogen peroxide…He asked , q y g pshop assistants about the available strength of the bleach and whether they could supply up to 100 litres.”

• Claimed that he thought Omar and Asiedu needed the hydrogen peroxide to decorate a house

Adel YahyaMet Police

hydrogen peroxide to decorate a house.

• Yahya: “I swear to God I had nothing to do with 21 July.”73

73) “21/7 Suspect Shocked by Arrests,” BBC, May 30, 2007 and “Profile: Adel Yahya ,” BBC, November 13, 2007.

• Traveled to Yemen with his wife on June 11, 2005. Then flew to Ethiopia on July 18Ethiopia on July 18.

• Arrested on November 29, 2005 by Ethiopian authorities at the request of the British. Questioned by British police in December 2005.

• Authorities in Ethiopia seized a CD with a 97 chapter document on it.

• According to the BBC “One chapter listed details of According to the BBC, One chapter listed details of explosives; another chemicals and a third book titles, including Aircraft Safety, Terrorist Target Selection, Biological Warfare, Chemical Warfare Agents and Jihad: The Origin of the Holy War in Islam. Another chapter, about chemicals

d f ili i l d d 29 f h d id i and fertiliser, included 29 sources of hydrogen peroxide in concentrations of 27.5% to 50%.”74

• Yahya faced a conspiracy to murder charge with Ibrahim, Mohammed, Omar, Hussain, and Asiedu, but a jury was unable to reach a verdict.

• He pled guilty to collecting information of a kind likely to be useful to a person preparing an act of terrorism and was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison.75

Adel YahyaMet Police

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74) “21/7 Accused ‘Had Explosive List',” BBC, May 31, 2007 and Megan Levy and agencies, “July 21 Terror Suspect Jailed for Six Years,” The Telegraph, November 6, 2007.

75) Adam Fresco and Sean O’Neill, “Last 21/7 Plotter Admits Role in Failed Attack,” The Times, November 10, 2007.

• Born in Somalia. Ramzi Mohammed’s brother.

• As the Metropolitan Police explained, Mohammed:

• “knew there were plans to bomb London and failed to alert…the authorities.”

• “was present at 14k Dalgarno Gardens, W10 on the morning of 21 July before the bombers prepared to set off to carry out the attacks.” (Prosecutor Max Hill said, “the Crown’s case is that it is inconceivable that Wahbi Mohamed Crown s case is that it is inconceivable that Wahbi Mohamed would have been invited to the flat that morning unless he knew what was about to occur.“)

• “took possession of a video camera - believed to have been d k h b b ' i id id D l used to make the bombers' suicide videos at Dalgarno

Gardens - and also took Ramzi Mohammed‘s suicide letter intended for his family.”

• “after the attacks…helped Ramzi Mohammed by taking him p y gfood and other items [a cell phone] as Ramzi remained in hiding with Ibrahim at Dalgarno Gardens.”

• Had the attacks succeeded, he reportedly would have distributed the martyrdom messages to the media

Wahbi MohammedMet Police

the martyrdom messages to the media.

• Convicted and jailed for 17 years in February 2008.76

76) “Profiles of the Five July 21 Accomplices,” Times Online, February 4, 2008 and “Five Jailed for Assisting Terrorists,” Metropolitan Police Service Press Release, February 4, 2008 and Duncan Gardham, “Five Who Aided July 21 Bombers Sentenced,” The Telegraph, February 5, 2008.

• Spent time being raised by the same foster family as Yassin Omar and became friends with him.became friends with him.

• Lived in the apartment above Omar at Curtis House.

• Muktar Said Ibrahim lived in the apartment with him.

• According to the Metropolitan Police, Ali “knew there were plans to bomb London and failed to alert..the authorities.”

• Following the failed attacks, he helped clean up incriminating evidence of bomb making in Omar’s apartment. He also helped Ibrahim move some of his propertyproperty.

• Police discovered handwritten notes about bomb making torn up in his garbage can. One note included the words “detonator, charge and Allah.” “Wire 10m, bulb with lid, batteries, nail remover and bulb-hole” was also written.

• Ibrahim left a notepad in Ali’s apartment on which he wrote: “1) Clear and definite goal 2) Realistic ambition 3) Useful to society, country and Islam 4) To believe in the goal 5) Qualities: a) hope and optimism b) patience, patience and patience c) exerting an effort (a goal without an effort equals dreams) d) ability to imagine details of a goal e) dependence on God f) Martyrdom in the Path of God."

• A Pak Cosmetics business card was seized from the apartment.77


Siraj Yassin Abdullah AliMet Police

j y y

77) Natalie Paris and agencies, “Bomb Plot ‘Helper' Had 'List of Bomb Parts',” The Daily Telegraph, November 4, 2007 and “Profiles of the Five July 21 Accomplices,” Times Online, February 4, 2008 and Duncan Gardham, “Five Who Aided July 21 Bombers Sentenced,” The Telegraph, February 5, 2008.

78) “Five Jailed for Assisting Terrorists,” Metropolitan Police Service Press Release, February 4, 2008.

• Born in Somalia. Hussain Osman’s brother.

• Described as “euphoric” following the 7/7 bombings; told a bartender “it has to be like this.“

• Gave his brother his passport so he could escape to Italy.

H l d f h f O i R 79• Helped secure a safe house for Osman in Rome.79


Abdul SherifMet Police

79) “Profiles of the Five July 21 accomplices,” Times Online, February 4, 2008 and 80) “Five Jailed for Assisting Terrorists,” Metropolitan Police Service Press Release, February 4, 2008 and “The

Accomplices to Terror,” BBC, February 4, 2008.

Sherif’s passport

• Friends with Hussain Osman, Osman’s wife, Ramzi M h d d W hbi M h d Mohammed, and Wahbi Mohammed.

• According to the Times Online, “Osman gave Ali extremist material, mainly cassette tapes of radical

hi th i ht f J l 20 H l h ld R i preaching, on the night of July 20. He also held Ramzi Mohammed’s suicide note in a cupboard in his hall, after it was passed to him by Wahbi on the morning of July 21. Police believed this proved how close Ali was to the b b Th b li d l th h li d it bombers. They believed only those who realised its significance could be trusted. After the attacks Ali offered Osman a safe house in London while he was on the run. Police tracked several telephone calls between Osman, Ali and the Mohammed brothers “and the Mohammed brothers.


Muhedin AliMet Police

79) “Profiles of the Five July 21 Accomplices,” Times Online, February 4, 2008 and “Five Jailed for Assisting Terrorists,” Metropolitan Police Service Press Release, February 4, 2008

• According to the Metropolitan Police, Abdurahman:

• “provided Hussain Osman with a safe-house after the attacks. He allowed Osman to stay with him at his home at 61 Newport Street, SE11 until Osman fled the country on 26 July 2005.”

• “acted as a runner for him, retrieving the video camera, believed to have been used to recorded the suicide videos; and Osman's brother's passport for him to use to escape to Italy he also attempted to buy a Eurostar ticket for Osman Italy, he also attempted to buy a Eurostar ticket for Osman the night before his departure for Rome.”

• After boarding his train to Paris, Osman called Abdurahman.

C i d d j il d f 10 i F b 2008 80• Convicted and jailed for 10 years in February 2008.80

Ismail AbdurahmanMet Police

80) “Profiles of the Five July 21 Accomplices,” Times Online, February 4, 2008 and “Five Jailed for Assisting Terrorists,” Metropolitan Police Service Press Release, February 4, 2008.

• Born to a Catholic diplomat from Ethiopia; attended boarding school in Italy Muslim convertschool in Italy. Muslim convert.

• Hussain Osman’s wife; has three children with him.

• According to the Metropolitan Police, “Girma…had prior knowledge of the planned terrorist attacks, yet failed to alert the authorities; and after the attacks actively helped her husband escape and tried to mislead the police in their enquiries to find him.” The misinformation included giving police a false name and cell phone number for her husbandcell phone number for her husband.

• After the failed attack, Girma and her brother Esayas drove Osman to their sister’s (Mulu) home in Brighton; the sister then tended to Osman’s injuries from the botched bombing.

• Convicted in June 2008 of assisting an offender, notdisclosing information about acts of terrorism, having prior knowledge of the planned attacks, and failing to pass information to the authorities. Sentenced to 15 years in prison.y p

• Dismissing Girma’s assertion that she was estranged from Omar, Judge Paul Worsely said, “you already shared Osman's extreme views on Islam and co-ordinated the escape plan for the father of your three children after he

Yeshi Girma Met Police

p p yfailed to achieve his sought-after place in paradise."81

81) “Family Members Convicted of Helping Terrorist,” Metropolitan Police Service Press Release, June 11, 2008 and “Wife of 21 July Plotter Convicted,” BBC, June 11, 2008 and Duncan Gardham, “Wife of 21/7 Bomber Jailed for 15 Years,” The Daily Telegraph, June 12, 2008.

• Yeshi Girma’s brother; Hussain Osman’s brother-in-law.

• According to the Metropolitan Police, “Esayas Girma…was a regular visitor to Osman's home at Blair House, Stockwell. After the attacks he actively helped Osman escape and provided a mobile phone in an attempt to evade detection by the authorities.”

• As noted previously, he was with Yeshi when she drove Osman to their sister’s (Mulu) home in Brighton shortly after the attacksthe attacks.

• Convicted in June 2008 of assisting an offender and notdisclosing information about acts of terrorism. Sentenced to 10 years in prison.82

Esayas GirmaMet Police

82) “Family Members Convicted of Helping Terrorist,” Metropolitan Police Service Press Release, June 11, 2008 and Duncan Gardham, “Wife of 21/7 Bomber Jailed for 15 Years,” The Daily Telegraph, June 12, 2008.

• Yeshi and Esayas Girma’s sister; Hussain Osman’s sister-in-law.

• One-time model who participated in the Miss Brighton competition.

• According to the Metropolitan Police, Girma “put up Osman immediately after the attacks, treated his injuries and helped move him to a second safe-house during the massive police hunt to trace him. She also attempted to dispose of clothing worn by Osman in nearby woodland.”

• Convicted in June 2008 of assisting an offender and notdisclosing information about acts of terrorism. Sentenced to 10 years in prison.83

Mulu GirmaMet Police


• Married Mulu Girma days after the 7/21 attacks.

• According to the Metropolitan Police, he “assisted Osman in Brighton where he made arrangements to harbour Osman at his girlfriend's and other addresses in Brighton. He then helpeddispose of incriminating evidence against the failed bomber in a bid to disrupt the investigation to trace him.”

• On February 19, 2008, pled guilty to assisting an offender and failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism in relationto Osman Sentenced to 9 years in prison 84to Osman. Sentenced to 9 years in prison.

Mohammed KabashiMet Police


Key Takeaways

• The failed attacks, which came two weeks after the 7/7 suicide bombings and at a time / gof enhanced physical security on London’s transportation system, highlight the inherent vulnerability of rail and bus lines.

• There is no clear open-source evidence indicating the 7/7 and 7/21 bombings were p g / / gcoordinated operations. Nonetheless, it bears noting that Muktar Said Ibrahim was in Pakistan at the same time as 7/7 bombers Mohammed Siddique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer. While it is unclear if they met, they returned with highly specialized bomb-making knowledge.g g

• Brits of Pakistani descent have been responsible for many of the plots targeting England since 9/11, including 7/7. The 7/21 plotters, who hailed from Africa, are thus a departure from this trend.

• As has happened numerous times following 9/11, a terrorist training camp in Pakistan helped prepare jihadists to strike the West. And as the camp in Cumbria demonstrates, would-be terrorists have also found innovative ways to ready themselves without traveling overseas.

• Abu Hamza al-Masri, Mohammed Hamid, and Atilla Ahmet played a central role in radicalizing the bombers, as did jihadist propaganda and the camping trip to Cumbria.

• As with many other terrorist attacks, a support network assisted the plotters.

Update: December 2008

• In March 2005, a telephone linked to Yassin Omar called Rangzieb Ahmed 85Rangzieb Ahmed.85

• In December 2008, Ahmed was convicted in England for directing terrorism as a member of Al-Qaida.

• Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Porter stated, "We believe that he was intent on masterminding terrorist attacks and would have considered mass murder part of his duty. We don't know where Rangzieb's next target would have been or what exactly he was working towards but we are been, or what exactly he was working towards, but we are sure he was attack-planning. What we do know is that he and [his co-defendant] Habib Ahmed had close contact with Al-Qaida’s senior figures, and were arranging for British citizens to visit terrorist camps and meet those willing to f d i Th i d b R i b Ah d fund terrorism. There is no doubt Rangzieb Ahmed was at the centre of the Al-Qaida web, and was using his position to manipulate people, drawing them in too.“86

• Rangzieb Ahmed and his co-defendant Habib Ahmed, who was g ,also convicted on terrorism charges, have been linked to numerous other radicals, including one-time Al-Qaida number three Hamza Rabia, Mamoun Darkazanli, Khalid Habib, Yassin Omar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Abdul Rahman, Aslam Awan, Mohammed Zillur Rahman Omar Bakri Abdul Rashid Ghazi

Rangzieb AhmedGreater Manchester Police

Mohammed Zillur Rahman, Omar Bakri, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, Maulana Shah Abdullah Aziz, and Shah Mehboob Elahi.87

85) “Links to Global Terror Network,” Manchester Evening News, December 18, 2008. 86) “Leading al Qaeda Member Convicted,” Greater Manchester Police Press Release, December 19, 2008.87) “Links to Global Terror Network,” Manchester Evening News, December 18, 2008.

the nefa foundation- the july 21, 2005 london transport bombings

Documents

defendant

support network

global terror

manchester

omars discarded

abu hamza

met po olice

manfo kwaku