War on Terror - Latest developments

Developments in the ‘War on Terror’ today. French police arrested two suspects connected to the Madrid bombings of March 2004. In Holland, a court has convicted and sentenced Mohammed Bouyeri to life imprisonment for the murder of Theo Van Gogh. Van Gogh, a descendent of the painter Vincent Van Gogh, was killed by Bouyeri for his critical and often scathing films about islam. He was shot and stabbed to death on the 2nd November 2004. In England, police say they are making breakthroughs as they close in on the terror network responsible for the attacks of 7th July and the failed attacks of 21st July. Today a block of flats was sealed off in north London, and a flat was searched by forensics police investigators. It is believed that the terrorists responsible for the 21st July attacks returned here after their bombs failed to detonate. Police were also searching a garage in the complex at Curtis House, New Southgate. Later in the afternoon police sealed off streets around a white Volkswagon Golf near the A406 London ring road. The car is said to be connected to the terrorists, but although some reports said it was stopped by police, residents told Channel 4 News that it had been abandoned for a few weeks and had a flat tyre. Authorities also named two of the suspects wanted in connection to the 21st July incidents. Muktar Mohammed Said, the would-be No 26 bus bomber, and Yassin Hassan Omar, the would-be Warren St bomber are, along with two others, as yet un-named, still on the run. Tony Blair in a 90 minute press conference said he would “not give an inch to terrorism”. In what some saw as a powerful speech, he criticized those who had acknowledged the attacks of 9/11. The September 11th attacks had been a “wake-up call” he said, but “they [the international community] then turned over and went back to sleep”. It was not clear to whom he was pointing the finger, but it may well be a criticism of those that have not fully supported the War on Terror or have been seen to back down in the face of terrorism. There was "no justification for suicide bombing whether in Palestine, Iraq, in London, in Egypt, in Turkey, anywhere; in the United States of America, there is no justification for it. Period" he said.
[19:51 GMT 26/07/2005]