THE July 7 suicide bombers in London were inspired by al-Qaeda but were not directed by a terrorist mastermind, an official inquiry will say today.

The Times has learnt that two reports into the bombings which killed fifty-two people will confirm that the security services had no intelligence on the planned attacks.

John Reid, the Home Secretary, will today attempt to rule out a public inquiry in to the attacks, leading to claims that there has been a “whitewash”.

However, critics believe that key questions still remain about the links between the 7/7 bombers and other suspected terrorists in Britain and abroad and about the failure of the security services to monitor the gang.

Mr Reid will tell MPs that a lengthy public inquiry would distract the security and intelligence services at a time when Britain is still facing a serious risk of terrorist attack, The Times has learnt.

Last night senior Conservative sources said that since MI5 and the police had provided the bulk of the evidence for the two reports during secret hearings the Government could be open to the charge of a “whitewash”.

Opposition parties will highlight America’s inquiry into the 9/11 attacks which lifted the lid on one of the biggest intelligence failures in history, contributing to the sacking of George Tenet, the CIA Director. It detailed the missed opportunities of law enforcement officials to avert disaster. Using transcripts of cockpit voice recordings, the report described events on board the planes along with the chaotic reaction on the ground from nearly every level of government.

The Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee will today clear MI5 even though it had given no prior warning of an imminent attack. A separate narrative of the July 7 attack, written by the Home Office, backs the same line, with its 35-page account concluding that there is no evidence of a Mr Big masterminding the plot.

The eight MPs and one peer on the ISC say that the four terrorists involved were home-grown but influenced by Osama bin Laden’s war against the West. The committee has accepted the argument put forward by MI5 that al-Qaeda provided “impetus” but not “attack planning” for the July 7 bombings.

However some members of the committee are known to have had concerns that the lead bomber Mohammad Sidique Khan, 30, who was known to MI5 before the attacks, was not monitored because he did not fit the profile of previous bombers.

MI5 robustly defended its actions in front of the ISC. Senior members of the Security Service said that there had been no evidence of any specific terrorist plot in the first half of 2005.

In its narrative, the Home Office does not support the theory of a fifth bomber, one of the suspicions that arose at the time of the attacks after the discovery of more explosive material in a car at Luton railway station.

Nor does it blame the attacks on the Iraq war, despite the taped video by Khan which specifically referred to Britain’s involvement in the invasion of Iraq as the prime motivation for the July 7 plot.

The Home Office account was drawn up by a senior official with contributions from Scotland Yard, MI5 and MI6.

A two-minute silence is being planned to mark the first anniversary of the July 7 bombings, The Times has learnt. Ministers want the moment of reflection to be held at midday on the anniversary which falls on a Friday.

A public event is planned in the capital while relatives and surviving victims will be able to attend small-scale commemorative events at the four blast locations.

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