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London terror cells were linked: police

Tony Thompson, Peter Beaumont and Martin Bright

The two operations were likely part of a plan to bring carnage to British capital

LONDON: Links have been uncovered between the two teams of bombers who have brought terror to the streets of London over the past two weeks, say security sources.

Police now believe that some of the men they are pursuing for last week's abortive attacks — on Shepherd's Bush, Oval and Warren Street underground stations and a No 26 bus in Hackney — attended a whitewater rafting trip at the same centre as two of the 7 July bombers Mohammed Siddique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer.

Trail of evidence

The news raises the distinct possibility that the two operations were connected as part of a larger plan to bring carnage to the capital.

Evidence discovered in the rucksacks left behind by the failed bombers led police to three addresses in London. When investigators cross-referenced them with the electoral register they discovered names that tallied with individuals who had attended the outdoor adventure course in Snowdonia last summer.

Scotland Yard had already confirmed that the explosive used in the 21 July bombings bore a similarity to that used in the earlier attacks.

Investigators are examining the possibility that the trip to Bala in North Wales was used a bonding experience for the cell. The Bala centre is one of Britain's most popular canoeing and rafting centres, attracting 80,000 visitors a year.

Line of inquiry

One line of inquiry being pursued is whether a cleric was responsible for organising the trip to bring the two cells together.

Armed police stormed an address in Scotia Road, Tulse Hill, south of Stockwell, on Saturday afternoon. It is thought they were looking for the man seen running away from Oval station in a distinctive "New York" top. The house has been under surveillance since last Thursday and the man shot on Stockwell station on Friday morning is believed to have left the same premises.

In a separate development, police are investigating an East African link to last week's bombers. Scientists are also examining the explosives connected to both attacks to try to establish if there is a strong forensic link between the cells.

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005

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