Scotland Yard today released two chilling images of the youngest of the four bombers who brought chaos to London, as millions of people across Britain fell silent to remember the victims of last week's attacks.
Hasib Hussain, an 18-year-old from Leeds, is shown in a CCTV image mounting the stairs at Luton station before taking the 7.40am train to King's Cross. There the four bombers split up and launched their attacks during last Thursday's rush hour. A second photo shows the picture from the teenager's driving licence.
Deputy Assistant Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police anti-terror branch, appealed for help from the public in tracking Hussain's movement before he boarded a No 30 bus which exploded at 9.47am - almost an hour after his three fellow bombers blew themselves up. Those who believe they have information are asked to call 0800 789 321.
Mr Clarke also named 22-year-old Shehzad Tanweer as the man who blew himself up on a train at Aldgate, killing seven people. He could not confirm the identity of the third Leeds bomber, who has been named unofficially as Mohammad Sidique Khan, a 30-year-old primary school teaching assistant with a 14-month-old daughter.
Property belonging to Mr Khan was found at the Edgware Road bombing, in which he is believed to have been among the seven who died, and some of his possessions were also found at the Aldgate bomb scene.
The death toll from the co-ordinated, al-Qaeda-style bombings has now reached 53, including 13 dead on the bus. Mr Clarke said: "This has been and still is a fast-moving investigation with new leads emerging literally by the hour."
But although Mr Clarke said that police believe the know the identity of the fourth bomber, responsible for the King's Cross blast which killed 26, he gave no name.
Police sources said earlier that the man who blew himself up on the tube between King's Cross and Russell Square was Lindsey Germaine, a Jamaican-born Briton. Germaine is thought to have lived in the house in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, raided by police last night, with his partner and young daughter.
Police sources believe that the three bombers who drove down from Leeds on Wednesday may have stayed the night with Germaine at his home in Buckinghamshire, before all four drove the 20 miles to Luton to take a Thameslink train to London to let off their bombs.
While the police investigation continued, tens of millions across Europe observed a two-minute silence at noon to mark Britain's single worst terrorist atrocity.
Taxis and buses pulled to the side of the road, London mainline stations closed, and businesses across the capital stopped trading after the ringing of the Lutine Bell at Lloyd's in the City marked the start of two minutes of silence from noon.
Trafalgar Square was full as thousands demonstrated their unity under the slogan 'One City, One World'; the Queen stood in silence on the steps of Buckingham Palace; and the London Eye stopped turning.
Thousands more gathered by Edgware Road, King's Cross and Aldgate Underground stations where the bombers struck.
"What the bombers sought to do was divide us, they hoped we would turn on each other like animals. That hasn't happened," said Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, in Trafalgar Square.
On a searingly hot day, hundreds stood in silent respect at Tavistock Square, where Hussain blew himself and 12 fellow passengers to pieces. Among those lowering their heads were yellow jacketed policemen who have been guarding what is still a crime scene.
"I felt I had to come down and help support all my fellow Londoners," said Dave Sapford, 60. "It was very moving. I’ve never known London come to a complete standstill like this before."
In Leeds, where friends and acquaintances of the bombers are still struggling to understand what drove them to mass murder, a memorial service was held at 11.45am at Millennium Square.
Thousands of people also returned to Trafalgar Square for an early-evening vigil to remember the victims. They assembled to hear an array of speakers including Mr Livingstone, Lord Coe, the leader of London’s Olympic bid, religious leaders, actors, and trade union bosses.
Only minutes before the midday period of silence, police targeted another house in West Yorkshire in the hunt for the bombers. Homes were evacuated on Lodge Lane in the Beeston area of Leeds and a West Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said officers were examining a property in the street.
Officers cordoned off streets leading off Tempest Road, close to a mosque and the address of one of the suicice bombers. Families could be seen leaving home with suitcases and roads soon became jammed with cars leaving the area.
Police believe that they have identified the British-born man who masterminded the suicide bomb attack. The leader of the terrorist cell is believed to be in his thirties and of Pakistani origin. He arrived at a British port last month and is understood to have left the country the day before four suicide bombers murdered at least 53 people.
Security sources believe that he has been involved in previous terrorist operations and has links with al-Qaeda followers in the United States. It is also believed that he visited the bombers in Leeds and identified targets on the Tube.
Security chiefs say that he is also likely to have schooled his recruits on how to trigger their rucksack bombs at the same time. There were also suggestions that the cell may have decided against using foreign help to reduce the chances of being discovered.
Detectives are trying to track two other possible members of the cell. The first was seen on CCTV cameras on the platform of Luton station near the four bombers as they set off on July 7. There are fears that the man, also believed to be of Pakistani origin, could be a fifth bomber, still at large in the London area.
Police are trying to discover if he lives in Luton, where explosives were found in the boot of a hire car. Fingerprint and DNA experts are still examining the Nissan Micra.
Security sources said that there may well be "sixth and a seventh" members of the cell, providing a support network.
MI5 was piecing together the double life of Khan, the oldest of the bombers, who worked as a learning mentor a school in Beeston, Leeds and ran an Islamic bookshop.
Sarah Balfour, head of Hillside Primary School, said today that staff and pupils were "devastated" to discover that Khan was one of the bombers. In a brief statement outside the school, she told reporters: "Sidique Khan was a member of staff at Hillside Primary School and he was employed here between March 2001 and December 2004 as a learning mentor.
"He was great with the children and they all loved him. He did so much for them, helping and supporting them and running extra clubs and activities. Sidique was a real asset to the school and always showed 100-per cent commitment," Ms Balfour said.
Two of the bombers were known to the police, despite claims that they were "clean skins". Tanweer was arrested for disorderly behaviour and Hussain was questioned over shoplifting, both last year. The two were cautioned but not charged.
Police sources also admitted that the name of one of the bombers had emerged during a major anti-terrorist operation last year. But he was neither arrested nor questioned.
Every recent phone call and e-mail linked to the bombers is being investigated by the security and intelligence services. Working backwards from July 7, they will trace every call made from the bombers’ homes and plot all their movements and associations with other people, in an effort to trace the bomb-maker. MI5 is focusing in particular on any trips they may have made abroad in the past year.
Credit cards were discovered with the bombers’ bodies, and checks on financial dealings over recent months could provide vital information. One security source said: "We are checking if anyone was seen with any of this circle in the weeks up to July 7.
"The men who orchestrated this attack, obtained the explosive and assembled the devices would have been well away from Leeds and London by the time the bombs exploded."
Scotland Yard were also looking last night for an Egyptian-born chemistry lecturer who was teaching until recently at Leeds University. M. Asdi el-Nashar, 33, is understood to have rented one of the Leeds addresses where explosives were found. He left Britain recently after telling neighbours of difficulties with his visa. The lecturer, who studied in the US, is understood to have known some of the bombers.
