AL-QAEDA marked the first anniversary of the July 7 bombings by releasing a propaganda video of Shehzad Tanweer, the young British Muslim who blew himself up on a Circle Line train at Aldgate.

The film, broadcast yesterday by al-Jazeera, also featured Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda’s second-in-command, and footage of terrorist recruits manufacturing explosives and firing automatic weapons.

Tanweer and Mohammad Sidique Khan, the leader of the July 7 bombers, were reported by ABC News yesterday to have spent three days with al-Zawahiri when they visited terrorist training camps in Pakistan in 2004.

In a hectoring address, Tanweer, who killed seven passengers, said that his actions had been provoked by British foreign policy and the persecution of Muslims. He said that terrorist attacks would continue British forces were withdrawn from Afghanistan and Iraq.

“What you have witnessed now is only the beginning of a string of attacks that will continue and become stronger until you pull your forces out of Afghanistan and Iraq and until you stop your financial and military support to America and Israel,” he said.

Tanweer, from Leeds, was on screen for only 30 seconds in a tape that had been carefully edited by al-Qaeda’s video production unit. He spoke in English but his words had been dubbed into Arabic.

The Times understands, however, that Tanweer, 22, whose remains are buried at a religious shrine in Pakistan, recorded at least 15 minutes of tape and that more footage may be released today Hassan Shweiki, editor of al-Jazeera in Qatar, said that the network received the tape only yesterday. “The package is much longer and we only showed a small portion. But we showed all of Tanweer’s words. We are hiding nothing.”

The tape raised fresh security concerns as London prepared for the anniversary of the bombings, in which 52 innocent people and the four bombers died.

On the film an unidentified person is seen holding a map of the capital and drawing a circle around Victoria station, which was not a target in the attacks.

Last night police declined to say whether they thought the clip could be a signal for another cell to attack Victoria. Deputy Chief Constable Andy Trotter, of the British Transport Police, said: “There will be extra officers on patrol but they are there primarily to reassure the public. The threat level remains high but there is no specific intelligence of any attack on the transport network.”

Tanweer’s family in Beeston, near Leeds were informed yesterday morning that the tape was to be broadcast.

Detectives investigating the bombings are studying the film for clues as to where it was made, and by whom. But security analysts say that the timing of its release indicates that the al-Qaeda leadership played a part in training and guiding the London bombers.

The tape appears to have been recorded in the same place and at the same time as the video made by Khan that was released in September last year. A report by the Intelligence and Security Committee, published in May, said that the pair were likely to have met al-Qaeda figures in Pakistan and to have had “operational training”. They returned to Britain in February last year to finalise their attack plans, recruiting Jermaine Lindsay and Hasib Hussain to their unit, and setting up a bomb factory where they made a large and volatile batch of high-explosives, using an al-Qaeda recipe.

Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman, of the Metropolitan Police, condemned the release of the video. He said: “There can be no doubt that the release of the video at this time can only cause maximum hurt and distress to the families and friends of those who died on 7/7, and the hundreds of people who were injured in the terrorist attacks. We are sure that the overwhelming majority of all communities are united in condemning any attempt to justify last year’s terrorist attacks in London.”

A sign in the window of the Tanweer family home said that no one would be making any comment to the media. But Irshad Hussain, a family friend, said that the release of the film would hurt Tanweer’s relatives and damage the image of the Muslim community. Mr Hussain said: “I have only seen a small bit of the video, but he seems to be saying what Khan was saying about Iraq and Palestine. It is wrong what he is saying and everybody knows that, but, unfortunately, there are people who may listen to what he says. They will not achieve anything by sacrificing lives.

“The family will be devastated to see the pictures of their son. It will be really, really hard for them. They are still trying to come to terms with what has happened and to see their son on the screen will be torture. It will be absolutely horrible for the family. I feel very sorry for them. They had no idea what was happening to their son.”

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