US: The release of information by the New York police chief that suggested the July 7th London bombs were made from household materials and set off by mobile phone alarms was "unsanctioned", London police sources said yesterday. However, they denied the latest "leak" by American officers had created a rift between the two forces.
According to New York chief of police Raymond Kelly, the bombs could have been made from household items such as hair bleach and citric acid. He said the bombs had initially been stored in a fridge at the home of one of the bombers in Leeds, in the north of England, and transported in coolers in the boot of a car to Luton, just north of London, before being taken to the capital.
"Initially, it was thought that perhaps the materials were high-end military explosives that were smuggled," Mr Kelly told the security heads of New York businesses in a briefing. "It's more like these terrorists went to a hardware store or some beauty supply store."
He added that the recipes for the bombs were as freely available on the internet as a recipe for meatloaf. Mr Kelly also suggested mobile phone alarms had been used as timers for the bombs.
A London police source said there were "elements of accuracy" in the briefing but "a lot of speculation". British detectives are not certain whether mobile phones were used.
The information released by Mr Kelly was not sanctioned by the British authorities but London police denied it had caused a serious row, saying they continued "to liaise closely with the Americans".
This is the fourth time information has appeared in the US before Britain. The first was when it was reported that British intelligence had made an assessment before July 7th that there was no group capable of carrying out a serious attack.
The New York Times also identified the fourth suicide bomber as Londoner Jermaine Lindsay, while it was still thought in Britain that the "fourth man" came from Leeds.
This was followed last week by the broadcasting on ABC television of photos and details of explosive devices found in the boot of the July 7th bombers' hired car in Luton.
Information about the 16 separate items, including an X-ray of a nailbomb, was broadcast in the US, as were the first shots from inside the wrecked tube trains.
Under contempt laws in England, once a person has been charged no further reference can be made to them beyond the details of the charge until the trial takes place. For this reason, the police here are more reluctant to divulge information than in the US.
Additionally, each country is tighter with information about matters closest to it. Details about Guantanamo Bay and intelligence assessments about the Iraq war emerged in the British media first. - (Guardian service)