Abdullah critical of anti-terrorism measures

By Kate Kelland and Sophie Walker

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain failed to act on information passed to it by Saudi Arabia which might have helped prevent suicide bombings in London in 2005 that killed 52 people, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah said on Monday.

In an interview with the BBC before a state visit to Britain, King Abdullah accused London of failing to do enough to combat international terrorism.

"We have sent information to Great Britain before the terrorist attacks in Britain but unfortunately no action was taken," he said, speaking through an interpreter. "And it may have been able to maybe avert the tragedy."

A spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown said no warnings were received before the July 7 attacks on London's transport system: "We made it very clear at the time that no specific warnings were received from any source."

"We do have a very close intelligence relationship with the Saudis," he added. "We just happen to disagree on this point."

King Abdullah arrived in Britain on Monday for a state visit. His visit has prompted protests from critics of the Saudi government's human rights record and demonstrations are planned outside the Saudi embassy in London later this week.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband pulled out of a conference on Monday where he had been scheduled to speak alongside Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.

Officials said he cancelled because he was taking leave after adopting a second child, and denied any suggestion that the move was a snub to the Saudi government. Junior foreign office minister Kim Howells, who spoke instead of Miliband, said the two nations were working together to tackle terrorism.