London 21 July suspect claims device was "flour bomb"

Hussain Osman, the suspect for the July 21 incident at Shepherds Bush who the UK authorities wish to extradite from Italy, claims that the device in his rucksack was merely bag of flour with a detonator in it.

Osman escaped from Britain via the Channel Tunnel and was arrested last week in Rome. He told his Italian lawyer that he was only staging a demonstration and had no intention of killing anyone.

Osman's claim contrasts starkly with Sir Ian Blair's statement shortly after the bombings. At that time Commissioner Blair said:

"Clearly the intention must have been to kill. You don't do this with any other intention."

Osman is reported to have stated:

"I am against war... I've marched in peace rallies and nobody listened to me. I never thought of killing people."

His intention was apparently simply to draw attention to the war in Iraq.

Sources

• Richard Owen in Rome and Sean O’Neill "Rucksack device was flour bomb, suspect says". The Times Online, August 4, 2005

• "Urgent hunt for London attackers". BBC news online, July 22, 2005

• "Bombs 'meant to draw attention to anger over war in Iraq'". CNN.com, August 1, 2005