London imam's associate: 7/7 is just the beginning

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Muslim extremist close to London's radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri told a Kuwaiti newspaper in remarks published Sunday that the July transit bombings in the British capital were just the beginning, and he expected more in coming years. Attila Ahmet, known as Abu Abdullah, was an associate of Abu Hamza. When Kuwait's Al-Anba newspaper asked him about terrorist attacks, he said "This is part of a series of events that will go on for years." However, he did not claim any connection to the July 7 bombings of the transit system that killed 52 commuters. Early this month, a British court sentenced Egyptian-born al-Masri to seven years in prison for fomenting racial hatred and inciting followers to kill non-Muslims during six years as imam of a British mosque. British anti-terror officers raided the mosque in January 2003, recovering a consignment of around 100 stolen and forged passports and driving licenses, blank firing handguns, and chemical warfare suits. Abu Hamza was forced out of the mosque at the time, but led Friday prayers on the street outside until his 2004 arrest. Moderate clerics took over administration of the mosque.