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25-07-2005 The Scotsman Links between two bomb gangs probed by police By Chief News Correspondent Gethin Chamberlain DETECTIVES investigating the London bombings are looking into the possibility that the two gangs involved met up on a trip to a whitewater rafting centre in North Wales to finalise their plans. Canolfan Tryweryn, the National Whitewater Centre, in Bala, North Wales, has been drawn back into the investigation after it emerged that detectives believe several people linked to what they describe as addresses "of interest" in relation to last Thursday's attacks may have visited it a month before the first attack. The Metropolitan Police is giving away few details about the investigation, but it was already known that Mohammad Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer rode the rapids at Canolfan Tryweryn just weeks before blowing themselves up. One theory being considered is that the bombers used the trip as cover for final preparations for the bombings or that it was some sort of a bonding session. The development came as police continued to sift through information from hundreds of callers who responded to publication of pictures of the four men who are believed to have carried out last week's failed bomb attacks in London. More than 500 calls, and 80 e-mails, have been received in response to the pictures - a much smaller response than the tens of thousands of calls received in the wake of the first wave of attacks. But Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, said he was pleased with the help police were receiving from the public. "Good progress is being made," he said. "Obviously we'd all wish that progress was faster but we have had tremendous support from the public in response to the CCTV images." Detectives hope that information provided by the whitewater centre may help link the two gangs. Photographs of Khan and Tanweer's trip show Khan, who detonated a device at Edgware Road Tube Station, with his fingers raised in a gesture and Tanweer, the Aldgate bomber, leaning forward and appearing to laugh. John Gorman, 38, the centre's director, said staff did not recall the men's visit. "We get 80,000 visitors a year including 25,000 rafters and 14 rafts going down the river every couple of hours." But he said details of who was involved would have been taken by the centre. "When parties arrive here the organiser will have booked the trip, then each rafter will have to give a signature before going on the river," he said. He claimed that police had not been in touch about the second team of bombers. "None of the staff has any knowledge of the bombers having been here. "If the police ask us to make a search through our records, then we will do so. But so far they have not asked us," he said. Last week, the centre confirmed that two of the 7 July bombers had been there last month. A spokesman said: "Following liaison with the police, we are now able to confirm that customers with the names Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer took part in a whitewater rafting trip on 4 June." Yesterday, a spokesman, Paul O'Sullivan, said staff had been surprised to discover that some of the bombers had been at the centre. "It is a shock but it is possible,"he said. The facility describes itself as the National Whitewater Centre. It has been operating since 1986 on the Tryweryn river. The centre charges GBP 280 per 14ft inflatable raft which can hold a maximum of seven people. For their money, visitors get two runs down the river, with each run lasting a little over an hour. Wetsuit hire costs an additional GBP 5 per person. The centre's website says: "North Wales is a mecca for outdoor activities and a great escape to free the mind and relax. There is a superb range of quality activities available that can be enjoyed by everyone: no previous experience required." Last night, North Wales police said they had not been asked by Scotland Yard to get involved in the investigation. A senior officer said he believed that London officers would be carrying out their own inquiries. "The Metropolitan Police are likely to make any inquiries themselves in such a major investigation and not ask for our help," he said. The trip attended by Khan and Tanweer was organised through the Hamara Healthy Living Centre in Beeston, Leeds. The centre is part of the Faith Together in Leeds project, involving churches, mosques and community organisations for the benefit of ethnic minorities and others. It is built on the site of a former Methodist church and is funded by, among others, Leeds City Council and the European Social Fund. Its website says: "The centre provides advice and support on real-life issues as well as acting as a link to the authorities and social services, such as the NHS and housing trusts."
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................................................................................................................. Copyright ©2004 Gethin Chamberlain. All rights reserved. |
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