HOURS before embarking on his secret mission that would cause carnage on a London Underground train, Shehzad Tanweer could not leave without saying goodbye to one of his friends.

They had spent the evening playing cricket in Beeston, Leeds. As usual there was banter, but Tanweer had something serious to say: “Whatever you do or whatever happens, make sure you look after yourself.”

His friend, a companion since childhood, was at a loss to understand his meaning. “What? Are you going somewhere? Take me as well,” he replied.

But that was all Tanweer could let slip. “Nah, I’m not going anywhere,” he said, “just look after yourself.”

The next day was July 7, 2005. Tanweer and three co-conspirators travelled to London where they killed 52 people by exploding bombs in their rucksacks on three Underground trains and a bus.

Since then the besieged and bewildered Asian community of Beeston has largely closed its doors to police and prying reporters. Those who speak out fear being shunned.

But over the past year the friend to whom Tanweer said goodbye has been talking to an intermediary who approached The Sunday Times two weeks ago. The friend has now spoken to this newspaper. His identity is known to us, he still lives in Beeston and knows family members of two of the bombers.

During the interviews he alleged there was a fifth bomber who pulled out at the eleventh hour. It is a serious allegation against a man who has never been questioned by police over the attacks.

The friend’s account also provides the most detailed description yet of Tanweer’s character.

He was, says his friend, a decent but “easily led” young man who had been indoctrinated by a cabal of Islamic extremists that operated outside the mosques. These figures, including Mohammad Sidique Khan, the bombers’ ringleader, bombarded youths aged as young as 12 with speeches on Muslim oppression and jihad.

“He [Tanweer] is not going to be remembered in a bad way by everybody,” said the friend. “He was a good lad, nobody ever complained about him. Basically everybody thinks he was brainwashed.”

The Home Office’s official account of the July 7 attacks concluded there was nothing remarkable about the backgrounds of the bombers.

Tanweer was born in December 1982 into a hard-working and prosperous family who had emigrated from Pakistan.

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