London arrests: A man is due to appear in court today charged under the Terrorism Act 2000 with withholding information.
He was named last night as Ismael Abdurahman (23), from Newport Street in Kennington, south London. This is the first charge to be made as a result of the investigation into the July 21st attempted attacks on the London transport system.
Mr Abdurahman was arrested on July 28th on suspicion of harbouring an offender and re-arrested on July 29th under the Terrorism Act. He is due to appear at Bow Street magistrates court, London, this morning. Fourteen people remain in custody in the UK in connection with the inquiry.
In Rome, an Italian judge is expected today to set a date for the extradition hearing for the suspect known as Hussein Osman in Britain. The move came as Mr Osman allegedly claimed there had only been "flour" in the devices left in London on July 21st.
Both Italian and British authorities last night played down suggestions of a dispute over the extradition. "Everything is going ahead as it should do," said a British home office spokesperson.
The British embassy in Rome denied suggestions that the Crown Prosecution Service for England and Wales or the police were unhappy about the process.
Corriere della Sera newspaper reported Mr Osman had told his court-appointed lawyer the knapsack he carried on to the Underground at Westbourne Park station on July 21st contained a detonator, "but the rest was flour". He was quoted as repeating claims that his aim was to "make a bang - startle people". The paper said Mr Osman had told his lawyer: "I am frightened of going back to Britain. I am frightened of what I could undergo in prison."
Two of the suspect's brothers have also been arrested. The Italian judge in charge of the hearing, Domenico Massimo Miceli, said that he had now received all the documents he needed. "I believe the hearing can be held before the end of August," he said.
The main sticking point so far has been an investigation launched by anti-terrorist prosecutors in Rome that could require the suspect to remain in Italy for trial.
Meanwhile, London's mayor, Ken Livingstone, has called for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq. In an article in the London-based Guardian newspaper, he calls for measures that would "shrink the pool of the alienated which bombers draw on". - (Guardian service)
Hate crimes: alarming increase
Crimes motivated by religious hatred have jumped nearly 600 per cent in London since the July 7th bombings.
These include verbal and physical attacks, and damage to property, including mosques. Scotland Yard figures showed 269 such incidents reported since the bombings, compared to 40 in the same 3½-week period last year.
In the three days after the attacks, there were 68 faith hate crimes. There were none in the same period 12 months ago.
Scotland Yard assistant commissioner Tarique Ghaffur said: "There is no doubt that incidents impacting on the Muslim community have increased. It can lead to these communities completely retreating and not engaging at a time when we want their engagement and support." - (PA)