Home >> Europe >> Great Britain

     Email   Print 

Was Exiled Radical Islamic Cleric Linked to London Bombings?

Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. - 10/6/2006

New information is emerging about exiled radical Islamic cleric Omar Bakri Mohammad and his possible involvement with the deadly London bombings. The attacks on July 7 2005 killed 52 innocent people in addition to the four suicide bombers.

On recordings made of an Islamic discussion group (held nightly on Paltalk.com), answering a question about whether he was linked to the bombings, Bakri for the first time admitted going to Leeds, where two of the London bombers originated.

He also confirmed that the bombers attended talks given by himself, jailed Islamic cleric Abu Hamza, Abu Qatada and Abdullah el-Faisal.

However, following his disclosure and presumably aware that he was being monitored, Bakri said just because he traveled to the area was not an admission that he organized the bombings.

He said, “I wished that I was involved in something great work like this. But I wasn't, so they asked me, ‘do you condemn what they did?’

I said ˜no, how dare I could condemn a mujaheed or somebody I believe ... whose footstep (is) in paradise." "Iwish if I am, but to claim something you are not, it is not our characters."

But Bakri again said, “I wish ... I was (involved), but (sic) it is not in a case like this. It is not something to be ashamed about it or something to say is bad. It's something so good to be involved in, but Allah never granted this opportunity yet...”

Banned from the United Kingdom, Bakri lives in Lebanon.

Commenting on the Bakri disclosure, British-based investigator Glen Jenvey said by e-mail, “It’s the first confirmed information that shows Bakri visited Leeds — the very area where three of the bombers lived. This was unconfirmed information up until this point.”

As to Bakri’s statement that he and others have been “addressing” the Muslim community for two decades, Jenvey said the Paltalk discussion reveals “that for 20 years fanatics have been preached to by these sick clerics.”

Jenvey also provided a copy of an e-mail he had sent to Britain’s MI5 asking them to monitor the group. It read in part,

“Every night I hear information by British followers of Omar Bakri talking about the USA, and other countries friendly with the USA, in a manner that can only be described as potential terrorism toward the U.S.”

He added, “The name of the group on Paltalk in the Islam section is ‘Al Sabiqoon Al Awwaloon.’ Paltalk have said they will help you. Their policy is to help the authorities with any investigation. Members who use the Paltalk group between 8.30-9.30 to 12.30pm GMT are members of the banned terrorist group Al Ghurabaa and The Saved Sect. They are the offspring of Al Muhajiroun and members of the Supporters of Shariah, a group run by Abu Hamza. If the British security service were to monitor the group’s members, you would in fact be monitoring al-Qaeda U.K. and its links to Pakistan and the mid-east. America comes high in the target list of these users; the members are the real deal.”

Jenvey is preparing to hand his evidence over to authorities, and said he would like nothing better than to see Bakri’s group shut down for good.

The recordings were made by Jenvey and a university professor who Jenvey said wishes to remain anonymous. Both Jenvey and his colleague are members of the international anti-terrorist organization Vigil.

According to Jenvey the professor said the information gleaned from the recordings seems to point to the fact that Hamza, Bakri, Qatada, and Faisal all had strong links to the London bombers.

Jenvey went even further, saying by e-mail that this new evidence confirms a video tape he uncovered, indicating that Bakri knew of the attacks several weeks before they happened. In the video, Bakri was seen warning his members to be careful about commenting on any attacks that might occur in England.