Police say the two men are 24-year-old Yasin
Hassan Omar, and 27-year-old Muktar Said Ibrahim, also known as Muktar
Mohammed Said.
They are among four suspects sought by police in connection with the
attempted bombing of three subway trains and a bus last Thursday.
Police also have confirmed that an explosive device similar to those
that failed to explode on Thursday was found in a west London park on
Saturday.
As the manhunt intensifies, police are investigating whether the wanted
men have connections to a team of four British Muslim suicide bombers who
killed 52 passengers on the city's transport network on July 7th.
The chief of the London police anti-terrorist branch, Peter Clarke, is
asking for public assistance in finding the suspects, and he warns that
they are dangerous. "I'd appeal to anyone who has information about where
these men currently are to immediately call 999 for an emergency urgent
police response. The public should not approach them."
In another development, British Prime Minister
Tony Blair has issued an apology for the police killing of a Brazilian man
Friday who authorities feared was a suicide bomber. "We are all
desperately sorry for the death of an innocent
person, and I understand entirely the feelings of the young
man's family. But we also have to understand the police are doing their
job in very, very difficult circumstances." The killing of 27-year-old
Jean Charles de Menezes, dominated talks Monday between Brazilian Foreign
Minister Celso Amorim and his British counterpart, Jack Straw.
Afterward, Mr. Amorim said that while Brazil understands the difficulty
Britain faces with terrorism, such killings could end up benefiting the
terrorists. "Combating terrorism has to be done with full respect for
human rights. If things happened the way they apparently did happen this
time, it may play into the hands of terrorists actually, because they are
disturbing the whole thing." The revelation that British police have
shoot-to-kill authority in dealing with potential suicide bombers, in
order to protect themselves and the public, has raised controversy in
Britain as well.
Some leaders of the British Muslim Community say they understand why
police need that authority, while others say they fear young Muslim men
will be targeted if they act suspiciously. Michael Drudge, VOA news,
London. |