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Abortive attacks were motivated by Iraq war, says suspect

Hasan Suroor

"There was a conviction that it was necessary to send out a signal"

LONDON: The abortive bomb attacks in London on July 21 were a reaction to the Iraq war, had nothing to with religion and were not meant to kill people, one of the suspects is reported to have claimed denying links with the Al-Qaeda or with the July 7 attacks in which 56 persons were killed.

Osman Hussain (27), who was arrested in Rome on Friday in connection with a failed attempt to trigger an explosive at Shepherd's Bush tube station, reportedly told an Italian court: "Religion had nothing to do with this. We watched films. We were shown videos with images of the war in Iraq. We were told we must do something big. That's why we met. I didn't want to kill, ours was supposed to be a demonstrative act. We didn't want to kill, only to spread terror.''

Extradition

La Republica newspaper quoted Hussain, also known as Isaac Hamdi, as telling the court: "Rather than praying we discussed work, politics, the war in Iraq... we always had new films of the war in Iraq... .those in which you could see Iraqi women and children who had been killed by U.S. and U.K. soldiers.''

The court will decide whether he should be extradited to Britain to face trial as demanded by British authorities. His lawyer Antonietta Sonnessa said her client would fight extradition and the process could take months.

During the hearing Hussain reportedly said that after seeing the footage of the Iraq war, there was a "feeling of hatred and a conviction that it was necessary to give a signal — to do something''.

Denying accusations of alleged links with Al-Qaeda, the Ethiopian-born Briton reportedly said: "We never had contacts with the Bin Laden organisation. We knew that they existed. We had access to their platforms through the Internet, but nothing direct.'' He is among the four police claim were behind the July 21 bungled explosions in three Underground stations in London and one on a bus. The other three are in police custody here. Two were arrested in London on Friday, and one in Birmingham earlier last week. A fifth man, not directly linked with the attacks, was also arrested on Friday.

According to Italian news agency, ANSA, a man believed to be Hussain's brother was arrested in Brescia in northern Italy on Sunday. He was named as Fati Isaac.

PTI reports:

Hussain claimed that the bombers were led by Mukhtar Said-Ibrahim, the bus bomber, who was arrested in London on Friday.

Milan's Corriere della Sera newspaper said Hussain first told authorities he did not know what was in the backpack he took on the London underground, then changed his version, saying he was told the attackers were only supposed to carry out ``demonstrative'' attacks. But the Rome daily Il Messaggero said the suspect told investigators ``We were supposed to blow ourselves up.''

Hunt for mastermind

The revelations come as police in the U.K. began hunting an Al-Qaeda mastermind believed to be behind the recruitment and training of both sets of London bombers.

The prospect of a U.K. mastermind controlling the cells raises fears that other units may be active in Britain. Despite the arrest of all five men wanted in connection with the failed attacks, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, warned on Saturday night of the risk of further bomb attacks.

However, the bombs that devastated London that day were a signal that they could go into action.

``Our boss taught us to make explosives out of fertilisers,'' Hussain is reported to have said, claiming the men put them into rucksacks and used timers.

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