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7/7: Indian immigrants freed

Hasan Suroor

Hasina's arrest two years after bombings was "outrage"

LONDON: All three members of an Indian immigrant family, arrested last week in connection with the investigations into the July 7, 2005 London bombings, have been released without charge.

Hasina Patel (29), wife of Siddique Khan who allegedly masterminded the July 7 attacks; her brother Arshad Patel (30); and another relative Imran Motala (22) were among four arrested after a series of anti-terror raids in the predominantly Asian areas of Birmingham and West Yorkshire on suspicion of "commissioning, preparing or instigating acts of terrorism." The fourth alleged suspect Khalid Khaliq (34), who lived on the same street in Beeston, Leeds, as Shehzad Tanweer, another of the July 7 bombers, is still in police custody for further questioning. Ms. Patel's arrest, two years after the incident, caused surprise with civil rights activists describing it as an "outrage."

"Hasina and her family have cooperated with the police, intelligence services, with the coroner, they have been in regular contact with everyone," Suresh Grover, a rights campaigner, protested, arguing that there was "absolutely no reason for these dramatic arrests to take place in this fashion." On Wednesday, Ms. Patel's lawyer Imran Khan said there was anger among the Muslim community at the way police had handled the case. He told the BBC that the manner of her arrest further damaged police relations with the community. "If their intention in this case was to destroy what relations they had with the Muslim community, then they have done that... To arrest her in these circumstances — a woman who lost her husband, who has been accused of the most atrocious events that have taken place in this country, has now spent seven days in isolation in Paddington Green (police station) — I wonder what she must be feeling,'' he said insisting that she was "innocent."

The police said that in "large and complex criminal investigations" it was "not unusual'' for people to be arrested and released without charge.

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