London: July 7, 2005
Today, July 7, 2008, in London.
Brother of 7/7 bomber gets a free trip to Pakistan to improve relations.
The brother of one of the July 7 suicide bombers has been given a free gap-year trip to Pakistan where the London terrorists were schooled in mass murder.
Today is the third anniversary of the attacks on London transport, in which 52 died and many more were injured.
And last night relatives of those killed condemned the 'insensitive' trip, which was designed to improve cultural ties and 'bridge the gap' between communities in Pakistan and Britain.
The bomber's brother, who has not been named, was flown to Pakistan courtesy of Projects Abroad, a company specialising in gap-year travel. He visited the capital Islamabad and neighbouring provinces, near where the bombers plotted jihad at notorious terror camps.
In 2004, Shehzad Tanweer, 22, and ringleader Mohammed Sidique Khan, 30, had secretly travelled to the country to learn Al Qaeda terror techniques.
In Pakistan they stayed in Al Qaeda safe-houses in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore and learned how to make bombs.
With Hasib Hussain and Jamaican-born Jermaine Lindsay, they blew up three Underground trains and a bus on July 7, 2005.
He wanted to find ways of preventing another July 7-style terror atrocity, and decided to set up schemes to help the two communities better understand one another.
He approached Projects Abroad to persuade the company to help ' disaffected' Pakistanis born in Britain to visit their parents' homeland.
It seems Projects Abroad went one step further, seeking out a relative of a July 7 bomber to take part in a 'taster' trip last month month with five other British Pakistanis.
Caan is understood to have played no part in inviting the brother of a 7/7 bomber.
Last night, Dania Gorodi, 51, whose sister Michelle Otto, 46, was killed in the
Russell Square blast, said: 'It is not just insensitive, it's downright stupid. It's ridiculous that anybody could think this idiotic scheme was a good idea.
'What's the point? To say, "Here, this is where your brother got his links to fanatics and Al Qaeda, this is where he went to terror training camp? " I absolutely fail to understand how that is going to improve relations.'
Kim Beer, whose son Phil, 22, died in the King's Cross explosion, said: 'It's baffling, it's insulting and it's a waste of money.' But Dr Peter Slowe, the founder of Projects Abroad, said: ' Certainly one of the people was the brother of one of the 7/7 men.
'But look, it was this fella's brother who did a terrible thing, not him. Why shouldn't he do something positive?'
Dr Slowe would not say which bomber it was, but added: 'We have had great interest from the Pakistani community in the UK in this scheme.
'James Caan came to us because he is interested in this idea that youngsters should explore their heritage.'
The idea behind the scheme is apparently backed by Hazel Blears, the Communities Secretary. Miss Blears is understood to have met Caan to discuss the project, but it is not known if she was aware that a bomber's brother was on the trip.
Last night, a spokesman for Miss Blears said:
'This is an independent project run by an independent organisation. The department has not provided any funding.
-end-
|