UK seeks return of bomb suspect from Italy

The London bombing suspect arrested in Rome last week was more likely part of a loose group of amateurs than an Islamist militant ring, Italian police said yesterday, as Britain sought his extradition.

Investigators in Rome said Issac Adus Hamdi, also known as Osman Hussein, did not fit the profile of a member of a large and organised insurgent network.

"Concerning Hamdi, we are presented with details that very likely appear more part of an impromptu group than a structured organisation that had broader terrorist projects," said Carlo De Stefano, head of Italy's anti-terrorism police forces.

Mr De Stefano told reporters that Hamdi was cooperating with authorities. Two of his brothers have been arrested in Italy on lesser charges, including the possession of false documents.

British police, who believe that all four men they were hunting over the failed July 21 bombings on three underground trains and a bus have now been captured, want to question Hamdi as soon as possible.

The other three are in custody in London after an international manhunt for suspected Islamist militants culminated in a swoop on a housing estate in west London on Friday and the arrest in Rome.

The attempted bombings came two weeks after four young British Muslim men killed themselves and 52 other people with bombs, also on three underground trains and a bus.

Hamdi's extradition could take time. His lawyer has repeatedly suggested that Hamdi will resist extradition and has told British television his client said he had not intended to kill anyone.

Italian police said Hamdi was from Ethiopia, but lived in Italy from 1991 to 1996.

He obtained fake Somali documents and British citizenship using the false name Osman Hussein. Italy's Interior Ministry had previously spelled his name as Osman Hussain.

One of the suspects held in London is a Briton originally from Eritrea while another is a Somali national, British authorities have said.

British detectives are questioning 18 people arrested as part of the probe into the attacks, the biggest operation for London's police since World War Two.

More arrests are expected as police scour the country for anyone who may have helped the bombers.

Officers, who warn more terrorist cells could be at large, are out in force on London's streets.

Police have said they will take race into account when deciding which people to stop and search, despite fears among some Muslims that this could anger members of their community.

Cabinet minister Peter Hain insisted the government wanted to avoid provoking any backlash from Asian communities who might start sympathising with those committing terrorist acts.

"We can't have that. At the same time we have to be clear we are dealing with an entirely new phenomenon of worldwide suicide terrorism and you can't take any chances," he told BBC radio.

The government, working on new anti-terrorism laws, may consider extra passport checks after Italian police said Hamdi had travelled abroad by train from London after the failed attacks.