Thursday, July 28, 2005

News | This is London - Suspect paid thousands in benefits

Suspect paid thousands in benefits

26 July 2005

One of the would-be suicide bombers who tried to blow up a London Tube train had been handed thousands of pounds in taxpayers' money.

Yasin Hassan Omar, 24, was given 75 pounds a week in housing benefit to pay for the one-bedroom flat where he has been the registered tenant since February 1999.

His housing benefit stopped in May but he may have been given up to �24,000 over the last five years.

The flat, on the ninth floor of a 12-storey tower block in New Southgate, north London, is believed to
have been used as a bomb factory by the suicide team who unsuccessfully targeted the London transport network last Thursday.

Explosives experts were examining material found inside.

Neighbours said another suspected bomber Muktar Said-Ibrahim, 27, had also been staying at the flat.

And they described seeing men lugging boxes into the flat only a few weeks ago. The men said the boxes contained wallpaper stripper.

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