Intelligence

Suspect 'tracked by phone calls'

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Suspect 'tracked by phone calls'

Italian investigators say police used cell phone records to track down one of the suspects in the failed suicide bombings in London on 21 July.

Osman Hussain was arrested on Friday in his brother's flat on the outskirts of the Italian capital, Rome.

He was traced using call records from two cell phone numbers, supplied to the Italians by UK police.

Police believe he travelled by train across Europe from London via Paris, Milan and Bologna.

Osman Hussain is wanted in the UK over the attack on Shepherd's Bush underground station.

Investigators quoted by Corriere della Sera newspaper said that his real name is Hamdi Isaac and that he may have been born in Ethiopia or Eritrea, rather than Somalia as previously thought.

No panic

The suspect's constant use of cell phones betrayed his attempt to find refuge. As well as calling his brother in Rome, he talked to his father who lives in Brescia, in northern Italy.

The suspect, who speaks good Italian, told investigators that he was brought up in Italy after his family sought asylum from Somalia when he was a child.

An unnamed Italian security officer told La Stampa newspaper that police discovered the suspect's whereabouts two days ago.

Police show pictures of suspect Osman Hussein
The man obeyed: first he got down on his knees, then he placed his hands on his head... finally he was handcuffed
Italian security officer
La Stampa

"We went to the area, to take a look around the neighbourhood, to work out what kind of traps or pitfalls there might be," he said.

Italian Central Security Operations (NOCS) officers then approached the brother, who gave them a description of his flat and the door keys.

On the day of the raid, the building was surrounded with snipers and a number of ambulances were on site.

A team of four armed security agents climbed the stairs to the flat, followed by more police.

When officers entered the flat, they found the suspect on a sofa in the living room and told him in English to get down on his knees.

"The man obeyed: first he got down on his knees, then he placed his hands on his head, he allowed himself to be searched, and finally he was handcuffed," the officer told the paper.

"He did not allow himself to panic."

The flat was then searched for traps. Computers and hard-drives were taken away to be analysed.

The suspect has been co-operating with investigators, who he apparently told that he had no intention of carrying out any terrorist activities in Italy.

A phone centre and internet cafe run by his brother near Rome's Termini railway station is also being searched by Italian police.

July 31, 2005 at 08:30 PM in Current Terrorism | Permalink | Top of page | Blog Home