Posted on 04/05/2007 6:33:20 AM PDT by blam
Three charged with planning 7/7 bombings
By Matthew Moore and agencies
Last Updated: 2:01pm BST 05/04/2007
Three men were today charged over the July 7 terror attacks on London in which 52 innocent people died.
It is alleged "that between November 1 2004 and June 29 2005 they unlawfully and maliciously conspired" with the four suicide bombers and others "to cause explosions on the Transport for London system and/or tourist attractions in London", the Crown Prosecution Service said.
The three were arrested last month, two of them as they were about to fly to Pakistan from Manchester airport. The third was arrested in Leeds shortly afterwards.
All are believed to be British nationals of Pakistani background, from the Leeds area, where three of the four bombers had lived.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command, said the investigation into the bombings had now reached "a new stage".
Today's charges followed 21 months of "intense investigation" by his force and West Yorkshire Police into the "murder of 52 innocent victims", he said.
"I appreciate that bringing these charges will have an impact on many people," he added.
"For some it will bring back horrible memories of that terrible day. For others there may be some relief that after such a length of time there is some visible progress in an investigation that has had to be kept secret."
The three had been under surveillance for some time. But security sources have confirmed that the arrests were not planned and were prompted by the realisation that two of the men - aged 23 and 30 - were about to leave the country.
Police believed they then had little option but to arrest the third man, aged 26.
Until today no-one had been charged with the July 7 attacks. One man was detained shortly after the bombings but was later released.
The four bombers, Mohammed Sidique Khan, who was the ringleader, Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain and Jermaine Lindsay, all died in the attacks.
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