07-18-2005, 10:23 AM
Suicide bombers' 'ordinary' lives
Four young men were killed in last Thursday's bomb blasts in London. Initially they would have been treated as victims, but police have now confirmed they are the perpetrators of Britain's first suicide bombing.
MOHAMMAD SIDIQUE KHAN, 30, FROM DEWSBURY
Mohammad Sidique Khan had lived in the Beeston area of Leeds until recently, when he moved to Lees Holm in Dewsbury.
Mohammad Sidique Khan was respected by pupils and parents
He is believed to have been married with a very young daughter, with newspapers naming his wife as teacher Hasina Khan.
The 30-year-old had been a teaching assistant at Hillside Primary School in Leeds since 2002.
Parents at the school told the BBC the teaching assistant had been highly regarded by both children and parents.
"He was a good man, quiet," said one parent, speaking outside the school.
"When I told my daughter she said 'no, he can't do something like that'. I had to go and buy the paper and show her."
Another parent, Sharon Stevens, told the Press Association how he had been a "big supporter" of pupils and parents.
"He was really understanding and he did work for the children and parents."
Mohammad Sidique Khan was born in Leeds in 1974
During its last Ofsted inspection in 2002, the school's learning assistants had been singled out for special praise in dealing with a transient pupil population from a socially deprived area.
Mohammad Sidique Khan spoke about his work to the Times Educational Supplement at the time. "A lot of [the pupils] have said this is the best school they have been to," he said.
He added he believed it would be years before government regeneration cash could transform the deprived Beeston area of Leeds.
Neighbours told how he was not well-known in the Dewsbury Muslim community, but they believed he was a "very pleasant" person.
One neighbour said: "He didn't seem to be an extremist. He was not one to talk about religion. He was generally a very nice bloke."
Despite the tributes, Mohammad Sidique Khan detonated enough explosives on a Circle Line train to kill seven people.
Documents belonging to him were found near the Edgware Road blast.
His family later released a statement describing their shock.
They described him as "a kind and caring member of our family" and suggested he had been "brainwashed".
They said they "would like to sincerely express their deepest and heartfelt sympathies to all the innocent victims and their families and friends affected by this horrific and evil act.
"We urge people with the tiniest piece of information to come forward in order to expose these terror networks which target and groom our sons to carry out such evils."
HASIB MIR HUSSAIN, 18, FROM LEEDS
Teenager Hasib Hussain had been known as a tearaway during his early teens.
Hasib Hussain became devoutly religious after a trip to Pakistan
Newspapers reported how he would start fights with fellow pupils at the Matthew Murray Secondary school in Leeds.
He left school in July 2003 without attaining a single GCSE.
Around this time, he was sent to Pakistan to visit relatives. He also went on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, grew a beard and began to wear robes.
Despite becoming devoutly religious, he was arrested for shoplifting during 2004.
Neighbours said the 18-year-old had lived all his life in Colonso Mount in the Holbeck area of Leeds. One neighbour described the family as "very nice people".
He said: "We all knew them but I wouldn't say I knew them well. They were just a very nice family."
Hasib Hussain was born in Leeds in September 1986
Hasib Hussain had told his family he was going on a trip to London to visit friends.
But when he failed to return on Thursday, his parents reported him as missing to police.
He had in fact boarded the No 30 bus in London armed with enough explosives to rip the double-decker apart, killing 13 people.
His driving licence and cash cards were found in the mangled wreckage of the bus.
His family later said they were "devastated" by what had happened.
In a statement they described Hussain as "a loving and normal young man who gave us no concern".
"We are having difficulty taking this in," they said..
"Our thoughts are with all the bereaved families and we have to live ourselves with the loss of our son in these difficult circumstances.
"We had no knowledge of his activities and, had we done we would have done everything in our power to stop him. "
SHEHZAD TANWEER, 22, FROM LEEDS
Shehzad Tanweer, 22, was born in Bradford but lived most of his life in the Beeston area of Leeds - little over half a mile from his friend, Hasib Hussain.
Shehzad Tanweer's uncle said his nephew was 'proud to be British'
He was a sports science graduate whose interests included cricket and ju-jitsu.
In 2004, he was arrested for disorderly conduct and cautioned.
Newspapers quoted friends who said Mr Tanweer was quiet and very religious but did not express an interest in politics.
The Daily Mail reported he had been to an Islamic study camp in Pakistan at the start of the year.
His father, of Pakistani origin, owns a fish and chip shop near their home on Colwyn Road.
Shehzad Tanweer was born in Bradford and brought up in Leeds
His uncle, Bashir Ahmed, 65, said the family was "shattered" by the revelation that he appeared to have been involved.
"He was proud to be British," he said. "He had everything to live for. His parents were loving and supportive.
"He was a very kind and calm person. He was respected by everyone."
Neighbours described the graduate, who studied at Leeds Metropolitan University, as a "good Muslim". Others said he was a "nice lad" who could "get on with anyone".
Yet Shehzad Tanweer detonated a bomb on a Circle Line train between Aldgate and Liverpool Street stations which killed seven people, including himself, and injured over 100 more.
GERMAINE LINDSAY, 19, FROM AYLESBURY, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
Lindsay converted to Islam and changed his name
Police sources have named the fourth suicide bomber as Jamaican-born British resident Germaine Lindsay.
He is understood to have been living at a house in Northern Road, Aylesbury that police raided on Wednesday night.
Germaine Lindsay spent his teenage years in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, like his fellow bombers.
He moved there in 1999 with his mother and sister, and moved away in 2003.
During this time he changed his name to Jamal Lindsay and began attending after-school classes to improve his knowledge of Islam.
Germaine Lindsay was married to Samantha Lewthwaite, with whom he is reported to have one 15-month-old child. Ms Lewthwaite is also reported to be pregnant with their second baby.
In a statement Ms Lewthwaite said she "never predicted or imagined that he was involved in such horrific activities".
"He was a loving husband and father," she said.
"My whole world has fallen apart and my thoughts are with the families of the victims of this incomprehensible devastation."
A statement issued by his relatives Andrew, 49, Sabrina, 28, Allan, 25, and Carly, 21 said Germain Lindsay "had a kind, caring and calming presence about him".
"He was a good and loving husband and a brilliant father, who showed absolutely no sign of doing this atrocious crime.
"We as a family had no idea of his plans and are as horrified as the rest of the world."
Lindsay is said to be responsible for the Kings Cross attack, where 26 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds more injured.
Did you know any of the men involved? Send us your comments using the form below.
Source;BBC/news
Four young men were killed in last Thursday's bomb blasts in London. Initially they would have been treated as victims, but police have now confirmed they are the perpetrators of Britain's first suicide bombing.
MOHAMMAD SIDIQUE KHAN, 30, FROM DEWSBURY
Mohammad Sidique Khan had lived in the Beeston area of Leeds until recently, when he moved to Lees Holm in Dewsbury.
Mohammad Sidique Khan was respected by pupils and parents
He is believed to have been married with a very young daughter, with newspapers naming his wife as teacher Hasina Khan.
The 30-year-old had been a teaching assistant at Hillside Primary School in Leeds since 2002.
Parents at the school told the BBC the teaching assistant had been highly regarded by both children and parents.
"He was a good man, quiet," said one parent, speaking outside the school.
"When I told my daughter she said 'no, he can't do something like that'. I had to go and buy the paper and show her."
Another parent, Sharon Stevens, told the Press Association how he had been a "big supporter" of pupils and parents.
"He was really understanding and he did work for the children and parents."
Mohammad Sidique Khan was born in Leeds in 1974
During its last Ofsted inspection in 2002, the school's learning assistants had been singled out for special praise in dealing with a transient pupil population from a socially deprived area.
Mohammad Sidique Khan spoke about his work to the Times Educational Supplement at the time. "A lot of [the pupils] have said this is the best school they have been to," he said.
He added he believed it would be years before government regeneration cash could transform the deprived Beeston area of Leeds.
Neighbours told how he was not well-known in the Dewsbury Muslim community, but they believed he was a "very pleasant" person.
One neighbour said: "He didn't seem to be an extremist. He was not one to talk about religion. He was generally a very nice bloke."
Despite the tributes, Mohammad Sidique Khan detonated enough explosives on a Circle Line train to kill seven people.
Documents belonging to him were found near the Edgware Road blast.
His family later released a statement describing their shock.
They described him as "a kind and caring member of our family" and suggested he had been "brainwashed".
They said they "would like to sincerely express their deepest and heartfelt sympathies to all the innocent victims and their families and friends affected by this horrific and evil act.
"We urge people with the tiniest piece of information to come forward in order to expose these terror networks which target and groom our sons to carry out such evils."
HASIB MIR HUSSAIN, 18, FROM LEEDS
Teenager Hasib Hussain had been known as a tearaway during his early teens.
Hasib Hussain became devoutly religious after a trip to Pakistan
Newspapers reported how he would start fights with fellow pupils at the Matthew Murray Secondary school in Leeds.
He left school in July 2003 without attaining a single GCSE.
Around this time, he was sent to Pakistan to visit relatives. He also went on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, grew a beard and began to wear robes.
Despite becoming devoutly religious, he was arrested for shoplifting during 2004.
Neighbours said the 18-year-old had lived all his life in Colonso Mount in the Holbeck area of Leeds. One neighbour described the family as "very nice people".
He said: "We all knew them but I wouldn't say I knew them well. They were just a very nice family."
Hasib Hussain was born in Leeds in September 1986
Hasib Hussain had told his family he was going on a trip to London to visit friends.
But when he failed to return on Thursday, his parents reported him as missing to police.
He had in fact boarded the No 30 bus in London armed with enough explosives to rip the double-decker apart, killing 13 people.
His driving licence and cash cards were found in the mangled wreckage of the bus.
His family later said they were "devastated" by what had happened.
In a statement they described Hussain as "a loving and normal young man who gave us no concern".
"We are having difficulty taking this in," they said..
"Our thoughts are with all the bereaved families and we have to live ourselves with the loss of our son in these difficult circumstances.
"We had no knowledge of his activities and, had we done we would have done everything in our power to stop him. "
SHEHZAD TANWEER, 22, FROM LEEDS
Shehzad Tanweer, 22, was born in Bradford but lived most of his life in the Beeston area of Leeds - little over half a mile from his friend, Hasib Hussain.
Shehzad Tanweer's uncle said his nephew was 'proud to be British'
He was a sports science graduate whose interests included cricket and ju-jitsu.
In 2004, he was arrested for disorderly conduct and cautioned.
Newspapers quoted friends who said Mr Tanweer was quiet and very religious but did not express an interest in politics.
The Daily Mail reported he had been to an Islamic study camp in Pakistan at the start of the year.
His father, of Pakistani origin, owns a fish and chip shop near their home on Colwyn Road.
Shehzad Tanweer was born in Bradford and brought up in Leeds
His uncle, Bashir Ahmed, 65, said the family was "shattered" by the revelation that he appeared to have been involved.
"He was proud to be British," he said. "He had everything to live for. His parents were loving and supportive.
"He was a very kind and calm person. He was respected by everyone."
Neighbours described the graduate, who studied at Leeds Metropolitan University, as a "good Muslim". Others said he was a "nice lad" who could "get on with anyone".
Yet Shehzad Tanweer detonated a bomb on a Circle Line train between Aldgate and Liverpool Street stations which killed seven people, including himself, and injured over 100 more.
GERMAINE LINDSAY, 19, FROM AYLESBURY, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
Lindsay converted to Islam and changed his name
Police sources have named the fourth suicide bomber as Jamaican-born British resident Germaine Lindsay.
He is understood to have been living at a house in Northern Road, Aylesbury that police raided on Wednesday night.
Germaine Lindsay spent his teenage years in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, like his fellow bombers.
He moved there in 1999 with his mother and sister, and moved away in 2003.
During this time he changed his name to Jamal Lindsay and began attending after-school classes to improve his knowledge of Islam.
Germaine Lindsay was married to Samantha Lewthwaite, with whom he is reported to have one 15-month-old child. Ms Lewthwaite is also reported to be pregnant with their second baby.
In a statement Ms Lewthwaite said she "never predicted or imagined that he was involved in such horrific activities".
"He was a loving husband and father," she said.
"My whole world has fallen apart and my thoughts are with the families of the victims of this incomprehensible devastation."
A statement issued by his relatives Andrew, 49, Sabrina, 28, Allan, 25, and Carly, 21 said Germain Lindsay "had a kind, caring and calming presence about him".
"He was a good and loving husband and a brilliant father, who showed absolutely no sign of doing this atrocious crime.
"We as a family had no idea of his plans and are as horrified as the rest of the world."
Lindsay is said to be responsible for the Kings Cross attack, where 26 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds more injured.
Did you know any of the men involved? Send us your comments using the form below.
Source;BBC/news