Rome suspect says had role in UK bombs-law source

By Phil Stewart

ROME (Reuters) – One of the prime suspects in the second
series of this month’s London bombings has told Italian
investigators he took part in July 21 attacks on London’s
transport network, a judicial source in Italy said.

The source, who has had direct contact with the suspect but
asked not to be named, confirmed Italian media reports that
Osman Hussain had said shortly after his arrest that he
participated in the attacks.

“Yes, yes. I can confirm that,” the source told Reuters. He
gave no further details.

Hussain, who police said on Sunday was also known as Hamdi
Adus Issac, was arrested on Friday in Rome. His court-appointed
lawyer has suggested that he may try to resist extradition
requested by British authorities.

British police suspect Hussain attempted to bomb a train at
Shepherd’s Bush underground station in west London on July 21
as part of a series of botched bombing attempts on three
underground trains and a bus. Those attacks were exactly two
weeks after suicide bombers killed 52 people and themselves in
similar attacks in London.

Italian authorities said Hussain is an Ethiopian-born
British citizen, who speaks Italian and lived in Italy during
the 1990s. Police said he has relatives in Italy — including
two brothers who have also been arrested.

Italian police said last week that Hussain traveled by
train from London to Paris to Milan, and then to Rome where he
was arrested on Friday afternoon at a relative’s apartment
outside the historic center.

BROTHERS ARRESTED

Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu announced over the
weekend that police were staging at least 15 raids in Italy
related to Hussain’s contacts.

The latest high-profile arrest stemming from the raids was
a man named as Fati Issac, who police said was Hussain’s
brother. A police source told Reuters he is accused of “hiding
or destroying” documents. Another brother was arrested in Rome
on Friday for possession of false documents.

Unconfirmed Italian media reports have quoted Hussain as
saying that his group did not intend to kill anyone and that
the blasts were planned as a show of force. In the reported
comments, Hussain also denied any connection to Osama bin
Laden’s al Qaeda militant network.

“We wanted revenge, to make them pay for what they were
doing to Muslims after July 7, for the treatment the English
dished out to our people,” Sunday’s edition of La Stampa
newspaper quoted Hussain as saying. “We did not want to kill.
It was only a demonstrative action.”

Hussain’s lawyer could not immediately be reached for
comment on Sunday. She told reporters on Saturday that she did
not believe Hussain wanted to go to London to face trial.

“I want to stay in Italy,” Sunday’s edition of Il Giornale
newspaper quoted Hussain as saying.

Italian media also quoted Hussain as saying that he knew of
no plans to launch an attack in Italy, where he had simply
sought shelter after fleeing Britain.

“I don’t know anything about plans to attack Italy,” Il
Giornale quoted him as saying.