Italian police monitored bombing suspect's phone calls

Police described in detail today how they monitored a London bombing suspect’s mobile phone calls before arresting him in Rome and said his extradition to Britain would not take long.

Italian police also said the Briton accused by London police of trying to bomb an underground station July 21 falsified his name and nationality when applying for asylum in Britain years ago.

The suspect, born in Ethiopia as Hamdi Issac, changed his name to Osman Hussain and claimed he was from Somalia when he applied for political asylum, Carlo De Stefano, head of Rome’s anti-terror police, said in the first police briefing since his arrest last Friday.

“He changed his name to Osman Hussain when he arrived in London. He falsely declared he was a Somali citizen to obtain the status of political refugee and economic assistance more easily,” he said.

The suspect was being held in a Rome prison and was awaiting possible extradition. “I believe that it won’t take long,” De Stefano said at the Interior Ministry.

Also arrested were two brothers who live in Italy: Remzi Issac, in whose apartment the suspect was hiding; and Fati Issac, picked up yesterday in the northern industrial city of Brescia and accused of destroying or hiding documents sought by investigators.

De Stefano said the brothers were not linked to any terror activity or investigation.

The failed bombings on July 21 of three London underground stations and a bus occurred two weeks after the deadly July 7 attacks. There were no casualties in the July 21 attacks.