The Fourth London Bomber’s Flight to Rome Points to His Senior Status in al Qaeda

Debka File ^ | July 29, 2005

[Barbarian6]

30 July Update:

The UK police statement Saturday, July 30, that Hussein Osman left London by Waterloo Station for a journey that ended in Rome indicates that he took the Eurostar to Paris and then crossed France to Rome by TGV. They claim to have tracked his route from London across France by his mobile phone.

DEBKAfile’s counter-terror experts find this account hard to credit.

While warning the British public that the four escaped terrorists had access to more explosives, the London police would hardly have let a dangerous suicide bomber slip out of their hands if they knew his whereabouts. He might have blown up the very trains he used. An explosion inside the Chunnel would have caused more casualties than the 9/11 attacks in New York.

Furthermore, immediately after the first round of London attacks on July 7, France clamped down the most stringent measures on its transit points. How then, did Osman, if he indeed traveled the route claimed by the UK police, make it through Gare du Nord and onto the fast train to Rome? Had they been tipped off from London, the French anti-terror authorities would have jumped at the chance of picking up the escaped terrorist.

These holes in the British police account imply that the fourth bomber had made good his getaway and was off their screens until he was nabbed in Rome.

[Barbarian6]

Not sure if he is or is not a "senior al Qaida" figure, but it is significant that he was able to "escape and evade" from England with the country in a state of virtual lock-down and make his way to Rome. How he was able to do that will be of extremely important intelligence value and will likely speak volumes about aspects of the terrorist "support network."

The same kinds of terrorists are here in the US as well...

[bnelson44]

Didn't he say he was not part of al-Qaeda? Don't you believe him?

[jjw]

I think that the europeans store cell phone location data for use after the fact. This guy may have escaped, but they could have later learned his cell phone id information and then determined where he had been.

[GOP_Proud]

Last place I'd run for is famiy. I think he was HOT and they hung him out to dry.

[o_zarkman44]

Perhaps police and intelligence knew the bomber may have had some contacts elsewhere and intentionally allowed him to flee knowing they had the means to track him to the home nest?
I find it hard to believe someone most wanted would simply slip out under the heavy security that followed the bombings unless they were allowed to slip out.

Kudos to the intelligence community. The fishing just got better.

[dervish]

Hmm, Debka has been right on the money with the London terror so far...

[budman_2001]

.....His Senior Status in al Qaeda
Debka File ^ | July 29, 2005

Something tells me that if he was a senior in AQ, he wouldn't be truckin' bombs around, and leaving cell-phone breadcrumbs behind. More likely an expendable resource job, or complete amatuer.

Just my take. Debka, hrrrmmmpphh, yea right!

[blam]

"Something tells me that if he was a senior in AQ, he wouldn't be truckin' bombs around, and leaving cell-phone breadcrumbs behind. More likely an expendable resource job, or complete amatuer.

Yup.

(London) Terror Suspects Very Probably Amateur, Says Italian Police

[jeffers]

There's something here, but I don't read "senior" into it. The guy changed the ID chip in his cell phone and he probably had false paperwork that he used to get out of Britain, possibly even in disguise.

Debka's worthless, but the signs point to basic or advanced AQ training.