7/7 London bombings ‘were Osama bin Laden’s last successful operation’

Evidence from al-Qaida leader’s compound suggests he was in contact with militants as London plots unfolded, say US officials The 7 July suicide bomb attacks on the London transport network in 2005 were the last successful operation Osama bin Laden played a role in, US government experts have concluded. They said there was strong evidence, including material collected from the Abbottabad compound in Pakistan where Bin Laden was killed, indicating that as the London-based plots unfolded he was in close contact with al-Qaida militants. Some of the confidence the US officials expressed about Bin Laden’s involvement in the attacks is based on analytical judgment rather than ironclad proof. Two of the officials said there was no “smoking gun” evidence proving that he orchestrated the plots. One official said Bin Laden was “immersed in operational details” of the group’s activities. “We believe he was aware of these plots ahead of time,” another of the officials said. Circumstantial evidence, including information gathered from the Abbottabad compound, also suggests the al-Qaida leader had advance knowledge of an unsuccessful London-based 2006 plot to simultaneously bomb US-bound flights, several US national security officials said. “Bin Laden was absolutely a detail guy. We have every reason to believe that he was aware of al-Qaida’s major plots during the planning phase, including the airline plot in 2006 and the London 7/7 attacks,” one of the officials told Reuters. Fifty-two civilians, and four suicide bombers, died in the 7/7 attacks on three London Underground trains and a bus. Hundreds were injured. It was “the last successful operation Osama bin Laden oversaw,” one US official said. Investigations by British authorities, with support from the US and other allies, established some time ago that elements of al-Qaida’s core leadership had played a role in the 2005 attacks. Investigators found evidence that Mohammad Sidique Khan, leader of the cell that carried out the bombings, and another cell member had travelled to Pakistan for paramilitary training before the attacks. One of the plots that US officials believe Bin Laden was at least aware of was a 2006 plot to bomb multiple US-bound flights from Britain using homemade liquid explosives. The plot was disrupted when police launched a major roundup of suspects. Flights to and from Britain were severely disrupted and tight new restrictions were placed on passenger carry-on items such as liquids and gels. The latest assessments from US and other western officials support assertions by the Obama administration that, despite years of apparent isolation in Abbottabad, Bin Laden still managed to keep in touch with activities – sometimes in considerable detail – of his followers around the world. By the same token, the cache of evidence found in Bin Laden’s compound does not offer new indications about any specific current plots he was involved in directed at US or other western targets. 7 July London attacks Osama bin Laden Pakistan United States UK security and terrorism Global terrorism guardian.co.uk

Posted by on July 13, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.