By Karima Rhanem | Morocco TIMES 3/10/2006 | 4:01 pm
Mohammed al-Guerbouzi, a British of Moroccan origin, who was given asylum in Britain, has filed a lawsuit against the British media for naming him as a suspect in the London bombings, reported the Moroccan daily, Assabah.
Assabah said, quoting 'credible sources', that several British media have received notifications from al-Guerbouzi's lawyer, stating they are being sued by the latter.
Al-Guerbouzi denied earlier any involvement in the London bombings which targeted the English capital on July, 7, 2005.
"I am not hiding and I am not a terrorist," Muhammad al-Guerbouzi told al-Jazeera two days after the bombings.
"These are all lies. They have made up this story," al-Guerbouzi added. He accused someone at the Moroccan embassy in London, whom he refused to name, of being behind the allegations that he had links to groups described as terrorist.
In the al-Jazeera footage, al- Guerbouzi is heard speaking while his bearded face is barely visible through a celluloid shadow the television network used to shield his face.
The London based Arabic daily Asharq Al Awsat reported earlier in July that Islamic sources confirmed that the 'accusations against al-Guerbouzi are old, and that he was consulting his lawyer about his suspicion of involvement in London blasts.”
The British tabloid The Daily Mail appeared on July 9, 2005 with a front-page banner headline: "Is Moroccan mastermind of the plot?"
London media reported that the request for details on the 45-year-old father of six, who has a British passport after being granted asylum in the mid-1990s, was sent by British police to European counterparts shortly after the three rush-hour Underground explosions and one bus bomb on July 7.
He is already wanted for questioning in connection with the Casablanca and Madrid terror attacks, which investigators say have striking similarities to the London attacks.
Al-Guerbouzi was convicted in absentia in Morocco in 2003 and sentenced to 20 years in prison in connection with the May 16 Casablanca bombings that killed 45 people.
He is alleged to have chaired a terror summit in Istanbul in 2003 to finalize plans for the Casablanca attacks. The Moroccan authorities claim that al-Guerbouzi, alias Abu Issa, handed over £45,000 in cash to couriers from the Casablanca bombers.
In March 2004, Spanish detectives investigating the bombing of commuter trains said that Moroccan Jamal Zougam, 31, one of the suspects of the Madrid blasts, made telephone calls to al-Guerbouzi's fixed and mobile phone lines in London. Investigators also claimed that al-Guerbouzi disappeared shortly after he was phoned by the Madrid cell.
French and German security services are accusing him of connections with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born leader of the insurgent group in Iraq connected to al-Qaida who has killed foreign hostages in Iraq and orchestrated attacks on US-led forces. Al-Guerbouzi has strongly denied this and any links to terrorism.
He left Morocco with his family in 1974 at the age of 17 to settle down in London. He had been living in Kilburn, North West London, as a student of the militant cleric Abu Qatada. The cleric is among the twelve foreign terror suspects that the British government decided to deport last August.
Al-Guerbouzi was given British nationality in 1994. Intelligence chiefs allege that he set up a branch of the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group in London in 2002. But Guerbouzi has denied this.
The London-based Asharq al-Awsat reported last year that al-Guerbouzi was close to a group that used to send Muslim volunteers to Bosnia to fight the Serbs during the Yugoslavia civil war and to Chechnya to fight the Russians.
The paper also quoted him as saying in an old interview that he opposed "suicide bombings".
Mohammed Darif, a Moroccan political analyst and expert in Islamist groups has cast doubt over al-Guerbouzi's involvement in London blasts.
“I don't think al-Guerbouzi is linked to London blasts, because he was watched by the British police, and was wanted for the Casablanca and Madrid attacks. Al-Qaida normally deals with people who have no criminal records,” Darif told Morocco Times.
The Moroccan analyst thinks there are two main reasons why the British media have jumped to accuse al-Guerbouzi of involvement in the London blasts.
“First, the media have noticed that Mohammed Bouyeri, Theo Van Gogh's killer, has used some expressions from Ben Laden's speeches. Second, after the attacks in Casablanca and those of Madrid, some prejudices began to develop about Moroccans. These allegations were backed up by Western media and especially Moroccan authorities, who arbitrarily detained hundreds of people. The Moroccan media talked about those Moroccans who became terrorists as if there were many of them,” he explained.
Darif stressed that the fact of mentioning Moroccans in every attack (in Madrid, Saudi Arabia...), and raising the issue of the Moroccan Islamist Combatant Group (MICG), contributed to the allegation that Moroccans are terrorists.
“So the media started talking about the MICG. As Madrid's attackers were Moroccans, the media established the link between other cells and the suspected leader of the MICG, Mohammed al-Guerbouzi,” Darif said.
Morocco and the UK examined last July the extradition of al-Guerbouzi during the visit of the UK FCO minister, Kim Howells on July, few days after the London bombings.
Moroccan authorities had already required his extradition, but the British government refused because he is holding British citizenship. Besides, there is no extradition treaty between the two countries. The FCO minister indicated that experts of the two countries are examining the means and the protocol of this extradition which must be carried out in total respect of human rights.
Karimarhanem's blog
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The blog contains most of my past articles at Morocco Times. It also includes some interesting subjects in different fields
Three terror arrests at London's Heathrow Airport
By Karima Rhanem | Morocco TIMES 7/10/2005 | 5:46 pm
Three men have been arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act at Heathrow Airport, although police have said it would be "inappropriate" to draw any links with the London attacks....
....Meanwhile Mohammed Al-Guerbouzi, a British of Moroccan origin, who was given asylum in Britain and named in British media as a suspect in Thursday's London bombings told Aljazeera TV that he is innocent and is not on the run.
Three British nationals were detained as they arrived to London on flights from abroad, reported ITV news. Scotland Yard Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick, told a news conference that the detentions are part of a separate investigation and the men, who arrived together, are not suspected of being involved in any planned second strike in the UK.
Earlier, Britain's former top Metropolitan Police chief Sir John Stevens warned the London bombers were "almost certainly" British and that there were many more born and bred in the UK who are willing to attack.
"We believe that up to 3,000 British born or British-based people have passed through Osama bin Laden's training camps over the years," he said.
Lord Stevens added that Thursday's bombers were "totally aware of British life and values" and that it was "wishful thinking" to suspect the perpetrators came from abroad.
Al-Guerbouzi maintains his innocence
"I am not hiding and I am not a terrorist," Muhammad al-Guerbouzi told Aljazeera on Saturday in London.
"These are all lies. They have made up this story," al-Guerbouzi added. He accused someone at the Moroccan embassy in London whom he refused to name of being behind the allegations that he had links to groups described as terrorist.
In the al-Jazeera footage al- Guerbouzi is heard speaking while his bearded face is barely visible through a celluloid shadow the television network used to shield his face.
The London based Arabic daily Asharq Al Awsat reported that Islamic sources confirmed that al-Guerbouzi's has not disappeared and that he attended with them the Friday prayers in one of Harrow Roads' mosques in west London. The same sources told the newspaper that the 'accusations against al-Guerbouzi are old, and that he is currently consulting his lawyer about his suspicion of involvement in London blasts.”
The British tabloid The Daily Mail appeared yesterday with a front-page banner headline: "Is Moroccan mastermind of the plot?"
London media reported that the request for details on the 45-year-old father of six, who has a British passport after being granted asylum in the mid-1990s, was sent by British police to European counterparts shortly after the three rush-hour Underground explosions and one bus bomb on Thursday.
He is already wanted for questioning in connection with the Casablanca and Madrid terror attacks, which investigators say have striking similarities to the London attacks.
Al-Guerbouzi was convicted in absentia in Morocco in 2003 and sentenced to 20 years in prison in connection with the May 16 Casablanca bombings that killed 45 people.
He is alleged to have chaired a terror summit in Istanbul in 2003 to finalize plans for the Casablanca attacks. The Moroccan authorities claim that al-Guerbouzi, alias Abu Issa, handed over £45,000 in cash to couriers from the Casablanca bombers.
In March 2004, Spanish detectives investigating the bombing of commuter trains, said that Moroccan Jamal Zougam, 31, one of the suspects of the Madrid Blasts, made telephone calls to al-Guerbouzi fixed and mobile phone lines in London. Investigators also claimed that al-Guerbouzi disappeared shortly after he was phoned by the Madrid cell.
French and German security services are accusing him of connections with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born leader of the insurgent group in Iraq connected to al-Qaida who has killed foreign hostages in Iraq and orchestrated attacks on US-led forces. Al-Guerbouzi has strongly denied this and any links to terrorism.
Al-Guerbouzi left Morocco with his family in 1974 at the age of 17 to settle down in London. He had been living in Kilburn, North West London, as a student of the militant cleric Abu Qatada. The cleric is among foreign terror suspects freed from prison recently who are tagged and kept under curfew at home.
Al-Guerbouzi was given British nationality in 1994. Intelligence chiefs allege that he set up a branch of the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group in London in 2002. But Guerbouzi has denied this.
The London-based Asharq al-Awsat reported that al-Guerbouzi was close to a group that used to send Muslim volunteers to Bosnia to fight the Serbs during the Yugoslavia civil war and to Chechnya to fight the Russians.
The paper also quoted him as saying in an old interview that he opposed "suicide bombings".
The same paper quoted AFP as saying Mohammed Darif, a Moroccan political analysts and expert in Islamist groups has cast doubt over al-Guerbouzi's involvement in London blasts.
“I don't think al-Guerbouzi is linked to London blasts, because he was watched by the British police, and was wanted for Casablanca and Madrid attacks. Al Qaida normally deals with people who have no criminal records,” Darif told AFP.
Spanish investigators, composed of two teams, who led the probe into the Moroccan bombers that left 191 dead in the Madrid attacks are due to arrive in London to help British police in the inquiry into England's worst terrorist attack.
One specializes in Islamic extremism and the links between suspects in Spain and Britain. They are set to arrive in Britain on Sunday. A second team, experts in the explosives used by al-Qaeda, will follow in a few days.
By Karima Rhanem | Morocco TIMES 7/10/2005 | 5:46 pm
Three men have been arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act at Heathrow Airport, although police have said it would be "inappropriate" to draw any links with the London attacks....
....Meanwhile Mohammed Al-Guerbouzi, a British of Moroccan origin, who was given asylum in Britain and named in British media as a suspect in Thursday's London bombings told Aljazeera TV that he is innocent and is not on the run.
Three British nationals were detained as they arrived to London on flights from abroad, reported ITV news. Scotland Yard Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick, told a news conference that the detentions are part of a separate investigation and the men, who arrived together, are not suspected of being involved in any planned second strike in the UK.
Earlier, Britain's former top Metropolitan Police chief Sir John Stevens warned the London bombers were "almost certainly" British and that there were many more born and bred in the UK who are willing to attack.
"We believe that up to 3,000 British born or British-based people have passed through Osama bin Laden's training camps over the years," he said.
Lord Stevens added that Thursday's bombers were "totally aware of British life and values" and that it was "wishful thinking" to suspect the perpetrators came from abroad.
Al-Guerbouzi maintains his innocence
"I am not hiding and I am not a terrorist," Muhammad al-Guerbouzi told Aljazeera on Saturday in London.
"These are all lies. They have made up this story," al-Guerbouzi added. He accused someone at the Moroccan embassy in London whom he refused to name of being behind the allegations that he had links to groups described as terrorist.
In the al-Jazeera footage al- Guerbouzi is heard speaking while his bearded face is barely visible through a celluloid shadow the television network used to shield his face.
The London based Arabic daily Asharq Al Awsat reported that Islamic sources confirmed that al-Guerbouzi's has not disappeared and that he attended with them the Friday prayers in one of Harrow Roads' mosques in west London. The same sources told the newspaper that the 'accusations against al-Guerbouzi are old, and that he is currently consulting his lawyer about his suspicion of involvement in London blasts.”
The British tabloid The Daily Mail appeared yesterday with a front-page banner headline: "Is Moroccan mastermind of the plot?"
London media reported that the request for details on the 45-year-old father of six, who has a British passport after being granted asylum in the mid-1990s, was sent by British police to European counterparts shortly after the three rush-hour Underground explosions and one bus bomb on Thursday.
He is already wanted for questioning in connection with the Casablanca and Madrid terror attacks, which investigators say have striking similarities to the London attacks.
Al-Guerbouzi was convicted in absentia in Morocco in 2003 and sentenced to 20 years in prison in connection with the May 16 Casablanca bombings that killed 45 people.
He is alleged to have chaired a terror summit in Istanbul in 2003 to finalize plans for the Casablanca attacks. The Moroccan authorities claim that al-Guerbouzi, alias Abu Issa, handed over £45,000 in cash to couriers from the Casablanca bombers.
In March 2004, Spanish detectives investigating the bombing of commuter trains, said that Moroccan Jamal Zougam, 31, one of the suspects of the Madrid Blasts, made telephone calls to al-Guerbouzi fixed and mobile phone lines in London. Investigators also claimed that al-Guerbouzi disappeared shortly after he was phoned by the Madrid cell.
French and German security services are accusing him of connections with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born leader of the insurgent group in Iraq connected to al-Qaida who has killed foreign hostages in Iraq and orchestrated attacks on US-led forces. Al-Guerbouzi has strongly denied this and any links to terrorism.
Al-Guerbouzi left Morocco with his family in 1974 at the age of 17 to settle down in London. He had been living in Kilburn, North West London, as a student of the militant cleric Abu Qatada. The cleric is among foreign terror suspects freed from prison recently who are tagged and kept under curfew at home.
Al-Guerbouzi was given British nationality in 1994. Intelligence chiefs allege that he set up a branch of the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group in London in 2002. But Guerbouzi has denied this.
The London-based Asharq al-Awsat reported that al-Guerbouzi was close to a group that used to send Muslim volunteers to Bosnia to fight the Serbs during the Yugoslavia civil war and to Chechnya to fight the Russians.
The paper also quoted him as saying in an old interview that he opposed "suicide bombings".
The same paper quoted AFP as saying Mohammed Darif, a Moroccan political analysts and expert in Islamist groups has cast doubt over al-Guerbouzi's involvement in London blasts.
“I don't think al-Guerbouzi is linked to London blasts, because he was watched by the British police, and was wanted for Casablanca and Madrid attacks. Al Qaida normally deals with people who have no criminal records,” Darif told AFP.
Spanish investigators, composed of two teams, who led the probe into the Moroccan bombers that left 191 dead in the Madrid attacks are due to arrive in London to help British police in the inquiry into England's worst terrorist attack.
One specializes in Islamic extremism and the links between suspects in Spain and Britain. They are set to arrive in Britain on Sunday. A second team, experts in the explosives used by al-Qaeda, will follow in a few days.
By Karima Rhanem | Morocco TIMES 7/8/2005 | 4:41 pm
London---Amid fear of backlash, Muslim communities have condemned the London blast that took the life of at least 50 people and injured more than 700 others. Police scrambled through precarious rail tunnels deep underground on Friday to hunt for clues and retrieve bodies.
The attacks, which officials said bore the hallmarks of the Islamic militant Al-Qaeda network, were London's deadliest in peacetime and coincided with a G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.
The feared backlash against British Muslims began almost immediately as news spread of four bombs that tore through three underground trains and a red double-decker bus
The Muslim Council of Britain, which represents 1.6 million Muslims, received more than 1,000 e-mails containing threats and messages of hate.
“Late yesterday morning at the offices of the Muslim Council of Britain we started to receive what was to be the first in a stream of several thousand e-mails each bearing the same message, in semi-literate English: "It's now WAR on Muslims throughout Britain," said Iqbal Sacranie, Secretary General of the Council.
He added that terrorism has no religion and that everybody should unite in helping the police to capture these killers.
“We share a common determination that terror cannot be allowed to succeed. It is now the duty of all of us as Britons to be vigilant and actively support efforts to bring those responsible for yesterday's terrible crimes to justice,” he emphasized.
The Muslim Safety Forum, made up of national and regional Islamic organizations, issued a release denouncing such barbaric acts.
“The MSF would like to express its total condemnation of such terrible acts and gross violations of the law of humanity. We would also like to re-iterate that the true message of Islam is one of Peace, Justice and the love of humanity. Islam holds the sanctity of human life in the highest possible regard and shedding the blood of an innocent person is seen as a most heinous and repulsive crime,” said the Muslim Forum.
In turn, the Muslim Association of Britain also denounced the attacks. Its president, Ahmed Sheikh, said the attacks would make the Muslim community less safe.
He said women in headscarves might be in particular danger and warned all Muslims to be especially vigilant. Muslim News editor Ahmed Versi noted that one of London's biggest Muslim areas, around Aldgate, had been targeted.
British of Moroccan decent, Abdelghafour Dahbi Skali, board member of the Muslim Cultural Heritage centre told Morocco Times that London attacks will certainly have adverse effect on Arab and Muslim communities in the UK, and particularly in London.
He added that “the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in North Kensington received an e-mail on Thursday signed by the British National Party, stating that this 'war' is starting on Muslims. The Metropolitan Police was informed and they are investigating the matter.”
According to Dahbi Skali, the police called for a meeting with community organizations, faith leaders, the business community, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council and other statutory and voluntary organizations.
“At the meeting,” said Dahbi Skali, “the police gave us more detailed information on what happened that day and asked all of us to report our concerns of the blasts' aftermath and how we would like the police to carry out their work in protecting all communities in our area.”
The meeting has resulted in sending a 24/7 patrols around religious centres and permanent 24/7 static police guards in front of Mosques and Synagogues. It was also decided that community leaders should report any incident to the police so it can be recorded and investigated.
At another meeting Thursday evening, the directors of all the Islamic Centres in London decided to unify the Friday Speech, expressing sympathy with the victims, their relatives and friends.
On Friday, the sermon (Khutba) was dedicated to condemning the attacks and to a call for peace and harmony throughout Britain and the world. Imams advised Muslims, particularly in London, to stand by to volunteer in assisting the recovery and emergency services if called upon, and for the possible need for a blood donating campaign.
Imams also guided the Muslim Community on what they should do and not do, at home, in the street, while shopping and when traveling.
Investigations amid fear of another attack
Fears of more attacks kept commuters and markets jittery. "We have to have a maximum consideration of the risk of another attack and that's why our total effort today is focused on identifying the perpetrators and bringing them to justice," British Home Secretary Charles Clarke told BBC radio.
Investigators searching for clues in the attacks said Thursday that the three bombs used in the subway apparently were detonated by timers, not suicide bombers as in the US 9/11 or cell phones in Madrid March 11, and that a fourth device may have been intended for a target other than the city bus that it destroyed.
The bombs on the trains were believed to be package bombs left by the attackers who fled before they went off.
The bombings in Madrid and London were separated by 16 months. Like Madrid, the attacks on London were aimed not at symbols of power like Big Ben or Westminster Abbey but at the mundane: ordinary workers making their way to work in rush hours. In Madrid, 191 people were killed by the 10 bombs that ripped through four commuter trains during the morning rush hour.
The effect in both cities was to paralyze the ordinary workings of the city. British authorities announced that every inch of every subway train in London would be examined to insure that no more explosives had been planted, just as the Spanish authorities examined every commuter train.
As Madrid, politics may have played a role in the timing. But there were no elections in London. Instead, there was the first day of the G8 talks, led by Tony Blair at Gleneagles, near Edinburgh. The bombings in Madrid came three days before a close national election.
Both Spain and Britain sent troops to aid the American-led war in Iraq and the military attack in Afghanistan, although it is not known whether support for American foreign policies played a role in the London attack.
Thursday's scenes of shocked and bloodied commuters were in stark contrast to the jubilant crowds who took to the streets on Wednesday after London was awarded the 2012 Olympic Games.
Al-Qaida responsible?
The London attacks have been claimed by an organisation that calls itself the Secret Organisation Group of al-Qaeda of Jihad Organisation in Europe, said the BBC.
The BBC added that it has located an Islamist website that published a 200-word statement claiming the attacks, but declared that the group had not previously been heard of.
The website had earlier carried statements purporting to be from al-Qaeda. But the BBC said that it was not possible to verify such claims published on the web.
By Thursday night, there were far more questions than answers confronting Scotland Yard. One official said none of the scores of suspected terrorists being watched closely in England appeared to be involved.
Londoners recounted London blast
The scenes of carnage were recounted by several Arab and Muslims living or working in London
D. Wafaa (Tunisian, working in London):
I can't believe I was in the tube when one of the bombs exploded. It was horrible. It was one of the worst days of my life. On my way to the bank in which I work in central London, I learnt there was another explosion close to the area. The bank was much safer than the street.
I was scared. I left after a while to go home, but I was blocked as there was no means of transport. I spent around nine hours searching for a way to get back home. I eventually took a ferry to cross the River Thames to reach Waterloo, and here my suffering started. I took a train to a place outside London, and then tried to take another train to go back to town, but it was suspended. Thank God, some policemen helped and I came back in one of the police mini-buses. Once I reached North London, I had to take three buses, and then had to walk for two hours.
I wasn't too unlucky as so many people in London, because most of them spent their nights outside their homes. I couldn't go to work today, and spent my whole day watching TV. I heard incidents of Muslims who already faced backlash. I hope I will never live to see what I have endured today. I am still under shock.
K. Arshad (Pakistani, living in London)
It was a horrible day for London. When I left for the office in the morning, I didn't know what had happened but there was no underground service from any station. Imagine when there is no tube running in London, how much worse it is going to be. It took me four hours to reach the office, which is only 50 minutes away from my home. Then all the offices were evacuated by 2:00 on health & safety grounds and Londoners returned home at midday.
Souad Talsi-Naji (Moroccan, living in London)
As an Anglo-Moroccan, I fear the reprisals on my community (Central London alone houses over 12,000 Moroccans, let alone other Moslems). The police and community leaders in Notting Hill are trying to calm anticipated rising tempers.
We have always enjoyed a harmonious relationship and co-existed with the host community in the Notting Hill area of London. Let's hope that Thursday's carnage will not affect it but will give people the determination to beat murder, carnage and barbaric acts anywhere in the world.
Driving across London on Thursday was an experience I would not want to go through again. There were hundreds of people everywhere. People looked frightened and disoriented and just wanting to get away from nearby Underground stations.
What has happened on Thursday is the work of barbarians and cowards who have no place at all in any country or faith. Innocent people were targeted while they were going to their businesses, universities, hospitals and schools. It has affected all faiths and all nationalities, young and old and all genders.
This kind of tragedy will not help redress any lost causes or deprivation; on the contrary it will reinforce hatred and ignorance among people.
Many peaceful countries experienced the horror and suffering that London suffered today. Together these countries are standing firm to condemn the London bombings and express their sympathy with all the victims, their families and friends.
London was plunged into a serious transport chaos on Thursday with underground trains stranded in tunnels and all buses pulled from the streets for bomb checks following deadly blasts. The gridlock quickly stretched beyond London. Trains from across Britain were prevented from entering closed stations in the capital, where ambulance teams helped the injured including, scores of travellers stranded underground.
London---Amid fear of backlash, Muslim communities have condemned the London blast that took the life of at least 50 people and injured more than 700 others. Police scrambled through precarious rail tunnels deep underground on Friday to hunt for clues and retrieve bodies.
The attacks, which officials said bore the hallmarks of the Islamic militant Al-Qaeda network, were London's deadliest in peacetime and coincided with a G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.
The feared backlash against British Muslims began almost immediately as news spread of four bombs that tore through three underground trains and a red double-decker bus
The Muslim Council of Britain, which represents 1.6 million Muslims, received more than 1,000 e-mails containing threats and messages of hate.
“Late yesterday morning at the offices of the Muslim Council of Britain we started to receive what was to be the first in a stream of several thousand e-mails each bearing the same message, in semi-literate English: "It's now WAR on Muslims throughout Britain," said Iqbal Sacranie, Secretary General of the Council.
He added that terrorism has no religion and that everybody should unite in helping the police to capture these killers.
“We share a common determination that terror cannot be allowed to succeed. It is now the duty of all of us as Britons to be vigilant and actively support efforts to bring those responsible for yesterday's terrible crimes to justice,” he emphasized.
The Muslim Safety Forum, made up of national and regional Islamic organizations, issued a release denouncing such barbaric acts.
“The MSF would like to express its total condemnation of such terrible acts and gross violations of the law of humanity. We would also like to re-iterate that the true message of Islam is one of Peace, Justice and the love of humanity. Islam holds the sanctity of human life in the highest possible regard and shedding the blood of an innocent person is seen as a most heinous and repulsive crime,” said the Muslim Forum.
In turn, the Muslim Association of Britain also denounced the attacks. Its president, Ahmed Sheikh, said the attacks would make the Muslim community less safe.
He said women in headscarves might be in particular danger and warned all Muslims to be especially vigilant. Muslim News editor Ahmed Versi noted that one of London's biggest Muslim areas, around Aldgate, had been targeted.
British of Moroccan decent, Abdelghafour Dahbi Skali, board member of the Muslim Cultural Heritage centre told Morocco Times that London attacks will certainly have adverse effect on Arab and Muslim communities in the UK, and particularly in London.
He added that “the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in North Kensington received an e-mail on Thursday signed by the British National Party, stating that this 'war' is starting on Muslims. The Metropolitan Police was informed and they are investigating the matter.”
According to Dahbi Skali, the police called for a meeting with community organizations, faith leaders, the business community, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council and other statutory and voluntary organizations.
“At the meeting,” said Dahbi Skali, “the police gave us more detailed information on what happened that day and asked all of us to report our concerns of the blasts' aftermath and how we would like the police to carry out their work in protecting all communities in our area.”
The meeting has resulted in sending a 24/7 patrols around religious centres and permanent 24/7 static police guards in front of Mosques and Synagogues. It was also decided that community leaders should report any incident to the police so it can be recorded and investigated.
At another meeting Thursday evening, the directors of all the Islamic Centres in London decided to unify the Friday Speech, expressing sympathy with the victims, their relatives and friends.
On Friday, the sermon (Khutba) was dedicated to condemning the attacks and to a call for peace and harmony throughout Britain and the world. Imams advised Muslims, particularly in London, to stand by to volunteer in assisting the recovery and emergency services if called upon, and for the possible need for a blood donating campaign.
Imams also guided the Muslim Community on what they should do and not do, at home, in the street, while shopping and when traveling.
Investigations amid fear of another attack
Fears of more attacks kept commuters and markets jittery. "We have to have a maximum consideration of the risk of another attack and that's why our total effort today is focused on identifying the perpetrators and bringing them to justice," British Home Secretary Charles Clarke told BBC radio.
Investigators searching for clues in the attacks said Thursday that the three bombs used in the subway apparently were detonated by timers, not suicide bombers as in the US 9/11 or cell phones in Madrid March 11, and that a fourth device may have been intended for a target other than the city bus that it destroyed.
The bombs on the trains were believed to be package bombs left by the attackers who fled before they went off.
The bombings in Madrid and London were separated by 16 months. Like Madrid, the attacks on London were aimed not at symbols of power like Big Ben or Westminster Abbey but at the mundane: ordinary workers making their way to work in rush hours. In Madrid, 191 people were killed by the 10 bombs that ripped through four commuter trains during the morning rush hour.
The effect in both cities was to paralyze the ordinary workings of the city. British authorities announced that every inch of every subway train in London would be examined to insure that no more explosives had been planted, just as the Spanish authorities examined every commuter train.
As Madrid, politics may have played a role in the timing. But there were no elections in London. Instead, there was the first day of the G8 talks, led by Tony Blair at Gleneagles, near Edinburgh. The bombings in Madrid came three days before a close national election.
Both Spain and Britain sent troops to aid the American-led war in Iraq and the military attack in Afghanistan, although it is not known whether support for American foreign policies played a role in the London attack.
Thursday's scenes of shocked and bloodied commuters were in stark contrast to the jubilant crowds who took to the streets on Wednesday after London was awarded the 2012 Olympic Games.
Al-Qaida responsible?
The London attacks have been claimed by an organisation that calls itself the Secret Organisation Group of al-Qaeda of Jihad Organisation in Europe, said the BBC.
The BBC added that it has located an Islamist website that published a 200-word statement claiming the attacks, but declared that the group had not previously been heard of.
The website had earlier carried statements purporting to be from al-Qaeda. But the BBC said that it was not possible to verify such claims published on the web.
By Thursday night, there were far more questions than answers confronting Scotland Yard. One official said none of the scores of suspected terrorists being watched closely in England appeared to be involved.
Londoners recounted London blast
The scenes of carnage were recounted by several Arab and Muslims living or working in London
D. Wafaa (Tunisian, working in London):
I can't believe I was in the tube when one of the bombs exploded. It was horrible. It was one of the worst days of my life. On my way to the bank in which I work in central London, I learnt there was another explosion close to the area. The bank was much safer than the street.
I was scared. I left after a while to go home, but I was blocked as there was no means of transport. I spent around nine hours searching for a way to get back home. I eventually took a ferry to cross the River Thames to reach Waterloo, and here my suffering started. I took a train to a place outside London, and then tried to take another train to go back to town, but it was suspended. Thank God, some policemen helped and I came back in one of the police mini-buses. Once I reached North London, I had to take three buses, and then had to walk for two hours.
I wasn't too unlucky as so many people in London, because most of them spent their nights outside their homes. I couldn't go to work today, and spent my whole day watching TV. I heard incidents of Muslims who already faced backlash. I hope I will never live to see what I have endured today. I am still under shock.
K. Arshad (Pakistani, living in London)
It was a horrible day for London. When I left for the office in the morning, I didn't know what had happened but there was no underground service from any station. Imagine when there is no tube running in London, how much worse it is going to be. It took me four hours to reach the office, which is only 50 minutes away from my home. Then all the offices were evacuated by 2:00 on health & safety grounds and Londoners returned home at midday.
Souad Talsi-Naji (Moroccan, living in London)
As an Anglo-Moroccan, I fear the reprisals on my community (Central London alone houses over 12,000 Moroccans, let alone other Moslems). The police and community leaders in Notting Hill are trying to calm anticipated rising tempers.
We have always enjoyed a harmonious relationship and co-existed with the host community in the Notting Hill area of London. Let's hope that Thursday's carnage will not affect it but will give people the determination to beat murder, carnage and barbaric acts anywhere in the world.
Driving across London on Thursday was an experience I would not want to go through again. There were hundreds of people everywhere. People looked frightened and disoriented and just wanting to get away from nearby Underground stations.
What has happened on Thursday is the work of barbarians and cowards who have no place at all in any country or faith. Innocent people were targeted while they were going to their businesses, universities, hospitals and schools. It has affected all faiths and all nationalities, young and old and all genders.
This kind of tragedy will not help redress any lost causes or deprivation; on the contrary it will reinforce hatred and ignorance among people.
Many peaceful countries experienced the horror and suffering that London suffered today. Together these countries are standing firm to condemn the London bombings and express their sympathy with all the victims, their families and friends.
London was plunged into a serious transport chaos on Thursday with underground trains stranded in tunnels and all buses pulled from the streets for bomb checks following deadly blasts. The gridlock quickly stretched beyond London. Trains from across Britain were prevented from entering closed stations in the capital, where ambulance teams helped the injured including, scores of travellers stranded underground.
By Karima Rhanem | Morocco TIMES 7/14/2005 | 6:12 pm
Rabat -- As Britons mark one week after last Thursday's attacks in three London underground stations and a double-decker bus, police are hunting for a fifth suspect, an Egyptian student in chemistry who is believed to have helped the bombers.
Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist branch, identified today the suspected suicide bomber who blew up the double-decker bus, killing 13 people, as Hasib Hussain, 18.
Clarke also said Shahzad Tanweer, 22, was responsible for attacking a subway train between the Liverpool Street and Aldgate stations. Both are Britons of Pakistani descent.
News reports have identified the other two as Mohammed Sidique Khan, 30, another Briton of Pakistani descent, and Lindsey Germaine, a Jamaican-born Briton.
The four were carrying rucksacks containing the bombs with which they blew themselves up in Britain's first suicide attacks, blamed by the government on al Qaeda-style Islamist militants.
Following the attacks, British media have reported several cases of backlash against Muslims. Kim Howells, British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Minister in charge of the Middle East, told Morocco Times that the British government won't allow Muslims in Britain to be targeted.
“I admit there were certain attacks against Muslims, but we are taking this seriously. Tony Blair was very clear in this regard. He said we should combat the perverted and poisonous misinterpretation of Islam behind last week's attacks and to pull up this evil ideology by its roots,” said Kim Howells, who is in Morocco for a three day official visit.
Howells added that this can only be taken on and defeated by the community itself. “It is a challenge for the Muslim Community to defend civil liberties in Britain. But this is not simply an issue for the Muslim community alone but rather for all of us who share this country and share with them British citizenship.”
Meanwhile, the Muslim community which makes up one tenth of the population of London believes these attacks are a crime against all communities in London.
Immediately after the attacks, the Muslim Safety Forum has been working closely with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to ensure that the policing of the terrorist attacks and the implications of the investigation do not adversely affect the safety and security of the Muslim Community in London.
After several consultations, the MPS asked local London boroughs and regional constabularies to contact their local Muslim organisations or Mosques and liaise with them regarding Islamophobic backlashes and any other concerns.
Safety became a concern among Muslim communities in London. A 24 hour intelligence gathering team has been set up which is getting 3-hourly feedback from all 32 London boroughs and the regional constabularies. Regular updates are also being given to the Muslim Safety Forum, an umbrella organisation made up of national and regional Islamic organisations, working as an advisory body to the police service.
Since the terror attacks, Muslims and Islamic institutions and organisations have endured backlashes. According to the Muslim Safety Forum, a petrol bomb attack was carried on a masque in Leeds; another arson attack was carried on a Sikh temple; two cases of Actual Bodily Harm, malicious communications (particularly via e-mail), and death threats were also reported.
The MSF urges members of the community to remain vigilant at these difficult times. Members of the Community are urged to report all Islamophobic crimes to the police, even seemingly insignificant incidents. The number of the Muslim Contact Unit (MCU) at the Metropolitan Police (MPS), has been given to all community leaders to call regarding any aspect of concerns
Rabat -- As Britons mark one week after last Thursday's attacks in three London underground stations and a double-decker bus, police are hunting for a fifth suspect, an Egyptian student in chemistry who is believed to have helped the bombers.
Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist branch, identified today the suspected suicide bomber who blew up the double-decker bus, killing 13 people, as Hasib Hussain, 18.
Clarke also said Shahzad Tanweer, 22, was responsible for attacking a subway train between the Liverpool Street and Aldgate stations. Both are Britons of Pakistani descent.
News reports have identified the other two as Mohammed Sidique Khan, 30, another Briton of Pakistani descent, and Lindsey Germaine, a Jamaican-born Briton.
The four were carrying rucksacks containing the bombs with which they blew themselves up in Britain's first suicide attacks, blamed by the government on al Qaeda-style Islamist militants.
Following the attacks, British media have reported several cases of backlash against Muslims. Kim Howells, British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Minister in charge of the Middle East, told Morocco Times that the British government won't allow Muslims in Britain to be targeted.
“I admit there were certain attacks against Muslims, but we are taking this seriously. Tony Blair was very clear in this regard. He said we should combat the perverted and poisonous misinterpretation of Islam behind last week's attacks and to pull up this evil ideology by its roots,” said Kim Howells, who is in Morocco for a three day official visit.
Howells added that this can only be taken on and defeated by the community itself. “It is a challenge for the Muslim Community to defend civil liberties in Britain. But this is not simply an issue for the Muslim community alone but rather for all of us who share this country and share with them British citizenship.”
Meanwhile, the Muslim community which makes up one tenth of the population of London believes these attacks are a crime against all communities in London.
Immediately after the attacks, the Muslim Safety Forum has been working closely with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to ensure that the policing of the terrorist attacks and the implications of the investigation do not adversely affect the safety and security of the Muslim Community in London.
After several consultations, the MPS asked local London boroughs and regional constabularies to contact their local Muslim organisations or Mosques and liaise with them regarding Islamophobic backlashes and any other concerns.
Safety became a concern among Muslim communities in London. A 24 hour intelligence gathering team has been set up which is getting 3-hourly feedback from all 32 London boroughs and the regional constabularies. Regular updates are also being given to the Muslim Safety Forum, an umbrella organisation made up of national and regional Islamic organisations, working as an advisory body to the police service.
Since the terror attacks, Muslims and Islamic institutions and organisations have endured backlashes. According to the Muslim Safety Forum, a petrol bomb attack was carried on a masque in Leeds; another arson attack was carried on a Sikh temple; two cases of Actual Bodily Harm, malicious communications (particularly via e-mail), and death threats were also reported.
The MSF urges members of the community to remain vigilant at these difficult times. Members of the Community are urged to report all Islamophobic crimes to the police, even seemingly insignificant incidents. The number of the Muslim Contact Unit (MCU) at the Metropolitan Police (MPS), has been given to all community leaders to call regarding any aspect of concerns
By Karima Rhanem | Morocco TIMES 7/15/2005 | 12:37 am
Rabat -- Mohamed Bouzoubaâ, Moroccan Justice Minister, and Kim Howells, UK FCO minister, explored on Thursday, possibilities of reinforcing cooperation in the legal field between Morocco and the UK.
In a press briefing, Bouzoubaâ announced that the two parties have exchanged their views on bilateral cooperation for the fight against terrorism, particularly in the wake of the July 7 attacks, which struck the heart of London.
The minister added that the meeting was an opportunity to discuss the case of the Moroccan Mohamed El Guerbouzi, currently living in London.
He was convicted in absentia in Morocco in 2003 and sentenced to 20 years in prison in connection with the May 16 Casablanca bombings that killed 45 people.
Moroccan authorities had already required his extradition, but the British government refused because he is holding a British citizenship. Besides, there is no extradition treaty between the two countries.
The minister added that the two parties also decided to establish a joint technical commission to work on a general agreement in the legal field. The commission will meet soon in one of the two capitals.
In turn, the British minister, who started Wednesday a four day official visit to Morocco, said he is confident that Morocco will fully cooperate with the British government and authorities in the fight against terrorism.
Raising the extradition of Mohamed El Guerbouzi, the FCO minister indicated that the experts of the two countries are currently examining the means and the protocol of this extradition which must be carried out in total respect of human rights.
Kim Howells also held talks on Thursday with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Mohammed Benaissa; the Prime Minister, Driss Jettou; the Minister of Interior, Al Mostafa Sahel; and the Minister Delegate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Taib Fassi Fihri.
The British official also met the press on Thursday, in Rabat, during an informal brown bag lunch to discuss several issues related to the two countries from bilateral relations, terrorism to cultural cooperation. The meeting was also attended by a group of the British Chevening scholarship alumni.
Howells is chairing today the signature of a partnership agreement between the centre of young leaders and the British embassy in Rabat in support of young Moroccan entrepreneurs.
Rabat -- Mohamed Bouzoubaâ, Moroccan Justice Minister, and Kim Howells, UK FCO minister, explored on Thursday, possibilities of reinforcing cooperation in the legal field between Morocco and the UK.
In a press briefing, Bouzoubaâ announced that the two parties have exchanged their views on bilateral cooperation for the fight against terrorism, particularly in the wake of the July 7 attacks, which struck the heart of London.
The minister added that the meeting was an opportunity to discuss the case of the Moroccan Mohamed El Guerbouzi, currently living in London.
He was convicted in absentia in Morocco in 2003 and sentenced to 20 years in prison in connection with the May 16 Casablanca bombings that killed 45 people.
Moroccan authorities had already required his extradition, but the British government refused because he is holding a British citizenship. Besides, there is no extradition treaty between the two countries.
The minister added that the two parties also decided to establish a joint technical commission to work on a general agreement in the legal field. The commission will meet soon in one of the two capitals.
In turn, the British minister, who started Wednesday a four day official visit to Morocco, said he is confident that Morocco will fully cooperate with the British government and authorities in the fight against terrorism.
Raising the extradition of Mohamed El Guerbouzi, the FCO minister indicated that the experts of the two countries are currently examining the means and the protocol of this extradition which must be carried out in total respect of human rights.
Kim Howells also held talks on Thursday with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Mohammed Benaissa; the Prime Minister, Driss Jettou; the Minister of Interior, Al Mostafa Sahel; and the Minister Delegate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Taib Fassi Fihri.
The British official also met the press on Thursday, in Rabat, during an informal brown bag lunch to discuss several issues related to the two countries from bilateral relations, terrorism to cultural cooperation. The meeting was also attended by a group of the British Chevening scholarship alumni.
Howells is chairing today the signature of a partnership agreement between the centre of young leaders and the British embassy in Rabat in support of young Moroccan entrepreneurs.
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