Three charged over 2005 London bombings

By Tim Castle

LONDON (Reuters) - Three men were charged on Thursday in connection with the July 7, 2005, suicide bomb attacks that killed 52 commuters on London's transport system, police said.

They are due to appear in court in London on Saturday charged with conspiring with the bombers to cause explosions on the transport network or at tourist attractions in the capital.

"The allegation is that they were involved in reconnaissance and planning for a plot with those ultimately responsible for the bombings on July 7," said Sue Hemming, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's counter-terrorism division.

The men are the first to be charged over the attacks on three underground trains and a bus in London. The four bombers all died and more than 900 commuters were injured in the co-ordinated morning rush-hour attacks.

Those charged are: Mohammed Shakil, 30; Sadeer Saleem, 26 and Waheed Ali, 23, formerly known as Shipon Ullah. All three are from Beeston, Leeds, the city that was home to three of the four July 7 suicide bombers.

Police have said the attacks bore the hallmarks of al Qaeda but have no evidence of the group's involvement.

Metropolitan Police anti-terror chief Peter Clarke said more arrests are likely as the investigation continues.

"The details of the charges must wait," he told a news conference. "But it is probably fair to describe it as a complicated jigsaw of thousands of pieces.