Hamdi Adus Isaac

Osman Hussein

Osman Hussein's after his capture by the Italian State Police in Rome, Italy
Born July 23 or July 27, 1978 (age 36)
Ethiopia
Arrested July 29th, 2005
Rome, Italy
Italian State Police
Citizenship Ethiopian, British
Detained at United Kingdom
Alternate name Hussain Osman or Hamdi Isaac
Charge(s) conspiracy to murder
Penalty life sentence with a minimum of 40 years in prison
Status in prison

Osman Hussain (also Hussain Osman or Hamdi Isaac) (born July 23, or July 27, 1978) was found guilty of having placed an explosive at the Shepherd's Bush tube station during the failed 21 July 2005 London bombings.[1] Born in Ethiopia, Hussain is a naturalised British citizen married to Yeshshiemebet Girma.

On 29 July 2005, he was arrested during a 40-officer raid at his brother-in-law's apartment in Rome, after mobile phone calls led police to believe he was hiding there.[2] He was later extradited to the UK in September under a European Arrest Warrant and charged with attempted murder.[2] He stood trial along with five other suspects.[1]

Claimed objectives

During the initial investigation in Rome, Hussain said he was motivated to participate in the attacks after viewing videos of war-torn Iraq. "I am against war," Osman said. "I've marched in peace rallies and nobody listened to me. I never thought of killing people." He explained that the bombs were never meant to detonate or kill anybody, only to draw attention to the Iraq war.[3]

Hussain was alleged to have stated: "More than praying we discussed work, politics, the war in Iraq ... we always had new films of the war in Iraq ... more than anything else those in which you could see Iraqi women and children who had been killed by US and UK soldiers."[4]

Other news sources reported that the bombers watched videos of British and American troops killing women and children in Iraq before embarking on their mission.[5] Some quoted him as saying "Muktar showed us some DVDs with images of the war in Iraq, especially women and children killed by American and British soldiers," Hussain said, adding that they were not to talk about these videos with others.[5]

"There was a feeling of hatred and conviction that it was necessary to give signal — to do something." Hussain denied links with either the Al-Qaeda or the July 7 bombers.[3] He claimed there was no bomb in his rucksack, just ordinary flour and a detonator meant to make the loud popping sound that was heard.[6]

Trial and sentence

On 9 July 2007 Hussain Osman was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court of conspiracy to murder and sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "'Bomb plot' trial: the six defendants". BBC News. 2007-01-19. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hooper, John (2005-07-30). "Fourth suspect arrested in Rome". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Bomb suspect: 'No al Qaeda links'". CNN. 2005-08-01. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
  4. ↑ Thompson, Tony;; Townsend, Mark; Bright, Martin; McMahon, Barbara (2005-07-31). "Terror suspect gives first account of London attack". The Observer. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Brady, Brian; Phillips, John (2005-07-30). "'Confession' lifts lid on London bomb plot". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
  6. ↑ "July 21 bombs were a hoax, court hears". London: The Guardian. 2007-03-01. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
  7. ↑ "Four guilty over 21/7 bomb plot". BBC News. 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2010-05-04.

External links