On March 22, 2007, British counter-terrorism police arrested three individuals suspected of assisting in the deadly suicide attacks that struck London in July 2005. Two of the suspects were detained prior to boarding a plane bound for Pakistan. The third individual was secured at a residence in Leeds, located in northern England. As part of the investigation, police were conducting searches of a residential area in working-class Leeds, which was also home to three of the July 7, 2005, suicide attackers .
All three individuals arrested on March 22nd are being held on suspicion of committing, preparing, or instigating terrorist acts. These arrests are the first significant apprehensions since the 2005 attacks and will likely lead to additional findings in the investigation. One day after the arrests, the suspects were reportedly taken to a high-security wing of Paddington Green Police Station in West London for processing and interviews.
Status of Operation Theseus
Despite the time lapse of two years, England’s Metropolitan Police declared investigative units were determined to follow evidence wherever it would lead to identify other individuals who may have been involved in the original attack. Although last week’s arrests are making front-page headlines, they are not the first arrests in the case, which is known as Operation Thesueus. In 2005, two suspects were detained; one was released without charge, and the second was charged with wasting police time. Additionally, an Egyptian chemist named Magdy el-Nashar was taken into police custody by Egyptian authorities one week after the attack when British officials indicated he was suspected of maintaining links to one or more of the July 7th. Egyptian authorities released el-Nashar three weeks later citing his non-involvement in the July 7th attacks. el-Nashar had informed reporters that he casually knew of the suicide bombers during his time as a doctoral student at the University of Leeds, however, he claimed to be uninvolved in the attacks. No individuals previously detained in the case have been charged in connection with the July 7th bombings.
Copycat Bomber Denies Link to July 7th Attackers
On March 23, 2007, in a related development to the investigation, an Eritrean-born man accused of masterminding four attempted copycat bombings just two weeks after the 7/7 attacks, denied accusations he coordinated his attack with the 7/7 bombers. Muktar Said Ibrahim denied the suggestion he had coordinated his failed plot with those responsible for the July 2005 bombings in an exchange with legal counsel for one of his co-defendants. This marked the first time investigators have alleged in British court that the two attacks may have been part of a single larger plan. Prosecutor Stephen Kamlish declared Ibrahim had been in Pakistan at the same time as Mohammad Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer, two of the four London suicide bombers. Ibrahim vehemently denied his alleged involvement in a larger plot. Ibrahim is one of six African-born individuals currently on trial facing terrorism charges, and has said his plan was to build fake bombs that would scare, but not kill people.
Cooperation Difficulties
The March 22, 2007, arrests is the first major arrests in nearly two years by officers from Scotland Yard’s Operation Theseus team. Scotland Yard says the three men are suspected of providing ideological assistance and possible logistical support to the 7/7 attackers. After observing the men for some time, detectives reportedly modified their plans and hastened the arrest of the three suspects for fear the lengthy investigation would be compromised if the suspects were permitted to depart the country and enter Pakistan. This fear was in part due to a strained relationship between British and Pakistani officials.
In recent weeks British police have openly expressed their frustration with Pakistani authorities. Some British police officials are concerned about an apparent lack of coordination involving the extradition case of Rashid Rauf, an Islamic extremist, wanted over last summer’s transatlantic airline bomb plot. Bi-lateral law enforcement cooperation can often be lengthy and complex when trying to access suspected terrorists outside their borders.
Seeking Information
Since the London bombings, British authorities have worked to identify and locate collaborators of the four suicide bombers. British authorities do not believe the four suicide bombers were solely responsible for the attacks, but believe they were part of a deeply imbedded and highly sophisticated anti-Western terrorist organization. The March 22, 2007, arrests may play an important role in determining a wider range of suspects. As it is believed that the 7/7 bombings were not the work of merely four men, but rather the work of an international terrorist organization, the successful interrogation of the three recent arrestees will likely assist police officials in further identifying the scope of the overall network. Additionally, inquiries and subsequent detainments of Muslim youth residents in Leeds, and in other areas of England will continue as British police forces move to uncover links between members of England’s Muslim youth and international jihadists.
