London bombers staged trial run

THREE of the four London suicide bombers were captured on CCTV as they undertook a dry run just nine days before July 7.

They arrived at King's Cross station on the morning of June 28 and spent more than three hours in the capital, checking their timings, security and the layout of the underground network.

The three, Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer and Germaine Lindsay, were captured on CCTV as they conducted the carefully planned reconnaissance exercise.

Scotland Yard confirmed yesterday that the men used a peroxide-based explosive to carry out the July 7 attacks, which killed 52 people.

Their rucksack devices had been manufactured in a sophisticated bomb factory at a flat in Leeds. Detectives said they had also left two more ready to go nail-encased peroxide bombs in a car at Luton station.

A day after al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the London bombings, detectives also confirmed they were actively exploring the "international connections" of the four suicide bombers, particularly in Pakistan.

Scotland Yard released new CCTV images of the bombers on their dummy run which showed them following the route from Luton to King's Cross station.

Dressed in runners, casual trousers and T-shirts the bombers appeared relaxed as they mingled among commuters. Khan and Lindsay even had rucksacks.

The three men arrived in London on a Thameslink train at 8.55am and left at 12.50pm. The only sighting of them during this time was at Baker Street at midday and British police are anxious to discover what they did, or who they might have met, in the "missing three hours".

Detectives uncovered details of the dry run after finding tickets and receipts from the trip during their searches of houses linked to the bombers. They had to trawl through 80,000 CCTV tapes.

Mr Clarke said Sidique Khan, Tanweer and the youngest of the four, Hasib Hussain, travelled from Leeds in a silver Nissan Micra, leaving the city at 4am.

They arrived at Luton Station at 6.51am where they met Lindsay, who had been waiting for them since 5am, before travelling to King's Cross.

It also emerged Hussain may have boarded another bus towards Euston before taking the route 30 bus towards Tavistock Square, where he exploded his device. It is thought he was supposed to get on a Northern Line train but was unable to because of disruption to the Tube.

Mr Clarke revealed two further viable peroxide explosive devices had been found under the front passenger seat of the bombers' Micra. That is likely to lead to speculation that there was at least one other bomber who failed to turn up for the mission

It also emerged that a top secret map of extremism in Britain has been compiled by police and MI5.

Inspector of Constabulary Denis O'Connor refused to divulge details but the map was understood to show evidence of domestic extremism in virtually every British county.

Mr O'Connor said the map was one of the key factors in his decision to propose a radical shake-up of policing in England and Wales.