Face of bus bomber revealed

From correspondents in London
July 15, 2005

POLICE have released a CCTV image of an 18-year-old man identified as the bomber behind the bus explosion in last week's attacks on London in a bid to elicit further information about his movements before the blasts.The disturbing images show the teenager, with stubble on his face, walking through Luton rail station on his way to London.

He is carrying a backpack presumed to contain the bomb that would he would later detonate in a bus commuters on Tavistock Square, killing more than a dozen people along with himself.
Hussain and the three other bombers reportedly travelled together on a commuter train from Luton to London, a short trip south, though he appears alone in these images.

The four were seen chatting together on CCTV at King's Cross station in London before they parted with an undemonstrative goodbye.

The bombs on the three London Underground trains - near Aldgate, Edgware Road and King's Cross stations - went off at around 8.50am (5.50pm AEST), with the one on the red double-decker bus exploding nearly an hour later.

The death toll from the attacks now stands at 54 and is expected to rise.

The Times said detectives were anxious to determine if Hussain, unable to blow up a train, may have sought last-minute orders before changing his target to the bus.

Scotland Yard anti-terrorist branch chief Peter Clarke said: "What we are asking the public is 'Did you see this man at King's Cross? Was he alone or with others? Do you know the route he took from the station? Did you see him get on to a number 30 bus and, if you did, when and where was that?'"

In Australia, a radical cleric has queried whether the bombers were actually Muslims because, he says, their actions were un-Islamic.

Melbourne's Sheik Mohammed Omran said the attacks were more likely to have been orchestrated by the US to justify its war on Islam. "That is absolutely what I believe it is," he said.(Full story)

Prime Minister John Howard has announced plans for a national identification card system to help combat the threat of domestic terrorism. Yesterday, Mr Howard stood by his claims that there could be suicide bombers plotting attacks in Australia. (Full story)

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