London police have released the names of two men suspected in last week's bungled attempt to bomb the city's mass transport system.
Police say the two men are 24-year-old Yasin Hassan Omar, and 27-year-old Muktar Said Ibrahim, also known as Muktar Mohammed Said.
They are among four suspects sought by police in connection with the attempted bombing of three subway trains and a bus last Thursday.
Police also have confirmed that an explosive device similar to those that failed to explode on Thursday was found in a west London park on Saturday.
As the manhunt intensifies, police are investigating whether the wanted men have connections to a team of four British Muslim suicide bombers who killed 52 passengers on the city's transport network on July 7th.
The chief of the London police anti-terrorist branch, Peter Clarke, is asking for public assistance in finding the suspects, and he warns that they are dangerous. "I'd appeal to anyone who has information about where these men currently are to immediately call 999 for an emergency urgent police response. The public should not approach them," he said.
In another development, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has issued an apology for the police killing of a Brazilian man Friday who authorities feared was a suicide bomber. "We are all desperately sorry for the death of an innocent person, and I understand entirely the feelings of the young man's family. But we also have to understand the police are doing their job in very, very difficult circumstances," he said.
The killing of Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, dominated talks Monday between Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim and his British counterpart, Jack Straw.
Afterward, Mr. Amorim said that while Brazil understands the difficulty Britain faces with terrorism, such killings could end up benefiting the terrorists. "Combating terrorism has to be done with full respect for human rights and if things happened the way they apparently happened this time, it may play into the hands of terrorists actually, because they are disturbing the whole thing," he said.
The revelation that British police have shoot-to-kill authority in dealing with potential suicide bombers, in order to protect themselves and the public, has raised controversy in Britain as well.
Some leaders of the British Muslim community say they understand why police need that authority, while others say they fear young Muslim men will be targeted if they act suspiciously.
