Appeal for more leads as new footage released

BRITAIN: Police investigating the failed London bombings last night released a new CCTV picture of one of the suspects.

BRITAIN: Police investigating the failed London bombings last night released a new CCTV picture of one of the suspects.

The man, who is believed to be the Shepherd's Bush bomber, is seen on board the number 22 bus as it travelled from Wood Lane, west London, towards Wandsworth, south London, last Thursday. He has not yet been identified by detectives.

The man, who has a shaved head and beard, is seen wearing dark trousers, a white vest and a wristwatch on his left arm.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of the Met's Anti-Terrorist Branch, urged anyone who had seen the man to get in touch with police.

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Last week, detectives released a picture of the suspect at Westbourne Park station.

The new picture, they believe, shows him after he fled the station when his bomb failed to detonate.

In the earlier picture, he was seen wearing a short-sleeved blue England football shirt and dark trousers. But after leaving the station, police believe he took the top off.

"We believe he threw away the blue England football shirt," Mr Clarke said.

"It may have been turned inside out and was stained, quite possibly with mud." Detectives believe it was left in Macfarlane Road, near Wood Lane, at about 12.30pm last Thursday.

"Having thrown away the shirt, he was later seen wearing a white vest," Mr Clarke continued.

Police think he stayed on the bus until the end of the route in Wandsworth, getting off at 2.07pm.

Meanwhile, neighbours living close to the Birmingham home of suspected July 21st bomber Yasin Hassan Omar, who was arrested yesterday, reported having seen Somali men at the flat in recent months. One woman said she saw the men moving extra bedding into the flat last weekend, and others said they became suspicious because so many men were living there.

A mile or so away in Bankdale Road, Washwood Heath, police raided another semi-detached house and three men, also believed to be Somalis, were arrested. They were being held last night at a West Midlands police station.

Neighbours said three Somali men had moved into the house six months ago. Extra police were on the streets of Birmingham last night amid heightened tension.

A press conference organised by the city council took an unexpected twist when the chairman of Birmingham central mosque, Mohammad Naseem, known as a moderate voice, attacked the way the bombings investigation had been carried out.

Dr Naseem said the government had given the impression Muslims were to be targeted. "Why do we not have an open mind about this?" he asked. "Terrorists can be anybody." He had seen no evidence Muslims were responsible for the bombings and attempted attacks. He claimed the four men killed among others on July 7th could have been innocent passengers.

The Prime Minister Tony Blair hailed the arrest. "Obviously we are greatly heartened by the operations today," he said in Downing Street.

Mr Clarke described Mr Omar's arrest as an "important development" in the investigation, but urged the public to remain "watchful and alert".

"As I have said before, we need to find Muktar Said-Ibrahim, also known as Muktar Mohammed-Said who we believe was responsible for trying to set off a bomb on the number 26 bus in Hackney Road," he said.

"We are still trying to confirm the identities of the other two bombers. The public response to our appeals has been superb, and we have been given vital clues in our hunt for these men.

"I would ask for that help to continue. We still need to identify and track them down."