Syria Angrily Rejects U.N. Resolution
UNITED NATIONS – Syria’s foreign minister faced off with the U.N. Security Council, angrily rejecting a unanimous resolution that demands Damascus cooperate fully with an investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Diplomats said they were shocked by Farouk al-Sharaa’s response on Monday. He said accusing Syrian security forces of having advance knowledge of Hariri’s killing was tantamount to saying U.S. officials knew ahead of time about the Sept. 11 attacks, Spain knew about the 2004 train bombings or Britain knew about this summer’s London transit bombings.
And he went one step further, raising questions about why Britain had trained for similar scenarios soon before the London attacks.
“We know that such security organs, particularly the British, were fully aware that such attacks would take place and had prior training to face up to them,” al-Sharaa said, jabbing his finger toward British Foreign Minister Jack Straw as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other foreign ministers looked on.
Britain, along with the U.S. and France, co-sponsored the resolution which passed with the support of all 15 nations on the Security Council, including Algeria, the only Arab nation on the council.
Al-Sharaa’s reaction visibly angered Straw, who called it “the most grotesque and insensitive comparison,” “appalling,” and “absurd.”
Rice called his outburst “a tirade which made the most bizarre connection.”
The resolution threatened “further measures” if Syria does not start cooperating fully with the probe of Hariri’s Feb. 14 slaying which also killed 20 other people.
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July 7 Tube bomber argued with cashier shortly before blast
One of the suicide bombers who attacked London on 7 July was filmed arguing with a cashier about being short-changed hours before he blew himself up.
Another of the terrorists – the teenager who destroyed a double-decker bus – was also captured on surveillance cameras wandering around the streets of London, “bumping into people”, before detonating his rucksack bomb.
New details of the behaviour and last movements of the four suicide bombers, who killed 52 people, were disclosed by a representative of the Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Branch, the magazine Police Review has reported.
The counter terrorist expert also told a seminar that the policing bill for the attacks on 7 July and the failed bombings on 21 July so far stands at £77m.
He warned traffic officers that the four terrorists – Mohammad Sidique Khan, 30, Shehzad Tanweer, 22, Germaine Lindsay, 19, and Hasib Hussain, 18, – did not fit the preconceived terrorist profile.
Tanweer hired a Nissan Micra and is believed to have been used to bring the other two Leeds-based terrorists, Hussain and Khan, to Luton railway station, from where they took the train into London for the bombing mission.
As an example the unnamed official told delegates that Tanweer argued with a cashier that he had been short changed, after stopping off at a petrol station on his way to the intended target in London.
The official told the seminar held in Preston, Lancashire two weeks ago: “This is not the behaviour of a terrorist – you’d think this is normal.
“Tanweer also played a game of cricket the night before he travelled down to London – now are these the actions of someone who is going to blow themselves up the next day?
“I’ve seen the CCTV footage of these people. They do not appear to be on their way to commit any crime at all. The Russell Square bomber [Hasib Hussain] is actually seen going into shops and bumping into people [prior to his attack].