ABC: UK Police Have 'Crystal Clear' Image of Islamic Terrorist - Update: 2nd Car Bomb Found

Fri, Jun 29, 2007 at 12:16:54 pm PDT

ABC News is reporting that UK police have a clear picture of the man who drove that explosive-laden Mercedes in London today. And he looks a lot like a Muslim who was previously arrested in connection with another UK terror plot—but released.

I guess we can rule out the IRA or the Mafia now. (To name two absurd theories floated by UK authorities trying to avoid the I word.)

British police have a “crystal clear” picture of the man who drove the bomb-rigged silver Mercedes outside a London nightclub, and officials tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com he bears “a close resemblance” to a man arrested by police in connection with another bomb plot but released for lack of evidence.

Officials say the suspect had been taken into custody in connection with the case of al Qaeda operative Dhiren Barot, who was convicted of orchestrating a vehicle bomb plot involving targets in London, New York, Newark, N.J. and Washington, D.C.

Officials say a surveillance camera caught the suspect “staggering from the Mercedes” shortly after parking it outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub.

U.S. and British law enforcement officials tell ABC News it is increasingly clear Friday’s bomb plot in London involves multliple vehicles, and is described by a senior official as a “terror plot involving lslamic extremists.”

UPDATE at 6/29/07 12:25:50 pm:

Sky News is reporting that a second car bomb has been found.

UPDATE at 6/29/07 12:51:30 pm:

At a Scotland Yard press conference, it was announced that the second car bomb was packed with very similar materials as the first—a large amount of gasoline, a detonator, and a large quantity of nails.