TIME CODE

00.05

Narrator

On Thursday July the 7^th 2005, London was attacked. 56 people were killed and 700 injured.

00.19

STILLS

Four young men had travelled into central London and had blown themselves up. All four were British citizens; outwardly respectable, yet willing to sacrifice their lives to kill and mame. But these were not Britain's first suicide bombers. In this programme we reveal a link between the mastermind of the July the 7th bombings, Mohammed Sidique Khan, and an earlier British suicide attack. Khan knew two young Britain's who had become bombers for Hamas. They had attacked an Israeli bar just 18 months before

00.59

Soldier on right

It's a great honour to kill these people. It's a great honour. 

01.03

Narrator

This is the story of Omar Sharif, the senior man behind that forgotten attack. It traces his life from his middle class upbringing in Derby, through war in Afghanistan, to bomb making hideouts in the Gaza strip. It tells how a boy from an unremarkable provincial background came to believe that in committing suicide and murder, he was doing God's work; that he would achieve martyrdom, and a place in paradise. 

TITLE: Road to Martyrdom

01.52

1st woman

I just looked up and saw a really, big, golden ball, like sparkling things inside it. 

02.03

1^st man

After the bomb went off, you can't hear yourself screaming you can't hear nothing. You can't hear your heartbeat 

02.14

2nd Woman

I started getting really, really cold. And then I touched my leg and everything was, there was no, there was nothing there it was a hole.  

02.26

1^st man

Flames were all over my body and, and I started to rip my shirt off and...it...started, like, to melt. And all the beard is burned up then melted on my face and blood, a lot of blood.

02.54

Narrator

When an Israeli bar, Mike's Place, was bombed in April 2003, it seemed like another in a stream of suicide attacks by Palestinian terrorists. But it wasn't. Within minutes of arriving, Police found a Koran in English, and two British passports.    

03.16

Maj. Gen. Yosef Sedbon

Head of Tel Aviv Police District

My first thought was that maybe the passports were fake and that its impossible that here is a terrorist who was born in England and whose come here to carry out a terrorist attack in Israel. Till then we had never heard of anything like it. It was a shock  

03.34

Narrator

The passports were genuine. For the first time two British citizens had carried out a suicide bombing. One, Asif Hanif, had died instantly in his own explosion. The second bomber, Omar Khan Sharif  had fled.  

04.01

Maj. Gen. Yosef Sedbon

Head of Tel Aviv Police District

Of course we sent men to search for him. From another eyewitness we found on the street, we discovered that the person seen running south, had dumped an object in a bin. 

04.15

Narrator

This was a second bomb; Omar Sharif's. It had failed to explode. 

04.25

Narrator

While the hunt for Omar continued in Israel, British police removed literature, documents and emails from the homes of Omar's family. Arrests followed. Suspected of knowing his plans Omar's wife Tahira was taken to London's high security Paddington green police station. So was his oldest brother Zahid, and his oldest sister, Parveen.  

04.51

Narrator

The hunt for Omar Sharif ended two weeks after the bombing when his badly decayed body was discovered floating in the sea. Rumours abounded that he has been murdered, perhaps by Hamas, perhaps by Israeli security. Certainly any hope that Omar Sharif would reveal the full story behind the bombing had ended. Instead Britain launched an unprecedented trial    

05.13

Tahira Tabassum

(cutting into narrator) I swear by Allah that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth ...

05.18

Narrator

The emails and letters seized would become the crux of the case. Under new anti-terrorism laws Tahira, Omar's wife, and his brother Zahid were accused of failing to alert authorities to a potential terrorist act.     

05.34

Zahid Sharif

I swear by Allah that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

05.39

Narrator

Parveen, Omar's sister, of the more serious offence of inciting him to commit a terrorist act. A charge, which carried potential life imprisonment. All three pleaded not guilty. The man at the centre of this case, Omar Sharif, hadn't always been an extremist.  

In 1994 the eighteen year old, Omar Khan Sharif travelled down from his hometown of Derby to London. To his family's pride he had won a place to read mathematics at King's College

06.22

Narrator

Omar was the youngest of five-second generation Pakistani children. His father Mohammed had immigrated virtually penniless in 1962. Working 18 hours a day, he had built a chain of small businesses, and became known as the ‘kebab king' of Derby. From an early age Mohammed pushed his son hard. Mohammed Sharif even gave Omar a period of public school education at Repton. But Omar's family was falling apart. While he was a teenager, Omar's parents underwent a bitter divorce. Along with the other children; Omar sided with his mother.

07.12

Narrator

Having settled in at King's , Omar made friends with the other British Pakistani students.

07.21

Narrator

Up till now Omar had shown no serious interest in Islam

07.27

Narrator

But now Omar got swept up in a religious movement that would change his life.

07.37

Zaheer Khan, Student King's College London

He was approached by a particular group er known as HizB Ut Tahrir which was quite active on the university campuses in King's at that time and er...I think Omar's very first connection with any sort of Islamic activity was through this particular group.  

Narrator

HizB Ut Tahrir's militant Islam was sweeping campuses and youth groups all over England. It called on Muslim's to unite in an international brotherhood - the Umma - and reject western values.

08.01

Zaheer Khan, Student King's College London

They started getting a lot more vocal in the second year of university. I remember Omar sort of distributing leaflets which I never saw him do before, and hanging up posters around the er campus. Omar was really, really changing as a person.   

 08.18

Narrator

Among the other students who attended radical lectures at King's was 20-year-old Tahira Tabassum. 

08.27

Narrator

Within a year Omar announced that he was getting married to Tahira.

08.32

Altaf Abbasi

Sharif Family Friend

His mother Rashida was stunned, she couldn't believe what young Omar was on about. She told him that look I have sent you to the university to study, not to find a wife. 

08.50

Narrator

Shortly after his marriage Omar dropped out of university. He moved into the suburbs of south London to live with his in-laws. Omar took some part time jobs but was mostly unemployed. More significantly he had come under the influence of one particular radical cleric 

09.11

Omar Bakri

Muslim Cleric

We tell them integration it is against God. We do not integrate with man-made laws. We are supposed to interact to change society. Until we see the black flag, the flag of Islam, over Downing Street. We believe in it, we've worked for it and with Allah's will and Allah's help we will establish it.   

09.36

Narrator

Omar Bakri Mohammed, a Syrian refugee, had spilt from HizB Ut Tahrir to form his own party - Al-Muhajiroun. He continued to target young people, as did so many fundamentalist clerics. Omar Sharif was now drawn to London's most infamous Mosque - Finsbury Park. Here he joined disaffected Muslims as they watched propaganda videos and listened to talks by Abu Hamza. 

10.05

Abu Hamza

Subtitle

For those who don't want to listen to the Islam by mouth, they will listen to it by stick. We fight in the cause of Allah and when you fight you kill. You don't fight just to negotiate or show off. Fight to kill. Until there is no enemies, until the Muslims shout, until earth becomes friendly with Muslims and says ‘O you Muslim come here come here there is a kaffir behind me kill him,' the whole earth want to fight. And when Allah allows it to talk she'll say, ‘O Muslim there is a Jew behind me come and kill him.'        

10.34

Narrator

It wasn't just talk.

10.36

Abu Abrahim

Subtitle

My name is Abu Abrahim. I am 21 years old. I'm a third year medical student in Birmingham University... 

10.44

Narrator

From the mid 90's young British Muslims had begun to take up arms and fight in the Balkans 

10.49

Aba Abrahim

Subtitle

You see the Serbs, the same people that raped out brothers and sisters. You see their dead bodies lying around in there hundreds. You feel that you've achieved something and something is achieved here in a short amount of time.

10.59

Narrator

By 1998 Serbian and Albanian forces were head to head in Kosovo and for clerics like Abu Hamza and Bakri, the war was part of a worldwide Islamic struggle.

11.09

Omar Bakri

Subtitle

The Kosovan Liberation Army sends to you a message. They are the army of Muslims now in Kosovo. Kosovo Muslim land. Kosovo belongs to the Muslims. They need your help  

11.24

Narrator

Hearing the call to arms young British Muslims went to Albanian training camps and joined Mujahidin units. They had been widely infiltrated by Al Qaeda. The basic combat course was three weeks. Omar Sharif also travelled to Albania, for three weeks. Omar had booked a one-year flight; why he returned early is unknown. But he seems to have taken his first active step into radical Islam. Shortly after his return to London, Omar's mother died.    

12.08

Narrator

By now he and Taira had two young children; a Daughter Hadija and a son, Hamza.  Hamza is the name of Islam's first martyr. They'd left Tahira's parents and moved into their own place in Hounslow. But tensions were developing. 

12.46

Tahira Tabassum From Court Transcipts

Omar he, he didn't want to work so I got a contract teaching maths at a school. He's not the type to say I don't want you to have the job but I didn't think he was very happy. He's having to be at home with the children erm, now the house is a mess. He's fed-up, he's just clearly fed-up. Then they asked me if I wanted to, erm, extend my contracts, and I remember just having a blazing row. I said, you know, you can't stop me I want to renew my contract. And he just said...OK...lets just go our separate ways and then he said, Talaaq, Talaaq, Talaaq. Erm, under, under Islamic law if you say it three times then you're divorced. 

13.50

Narrator

The police later found that the man Taira first turned to for advice on her marriage was the head of, Al-Muhajiroun, Omar Bakri.

14.00

Narrator

Whoever they received advice from, the couple stayed together. On July the 13^th 2000 Omar took his family to Damascus on a one-year visa, ostensibly for religious studies.  

14.16

Narrator

But as well as progressing his Arabic and study of the Koran, Omar met up with friends from Hounslow. One fellow student, just 18, was destined to be his fellow bomber - Asif Hanif.  Asif was sponsored by his local Mosque in Hounslow.

14.38

Narrator

Asif formed a bond with Omar and together they immersed themselves in religion and increasingly Islamist politics. Tahira said she knew nothing of Omar's friendship with Asif.

14.56

Narrator

Omar and Tahira cut short their time in Damascus. They returned to the UK in the summer of 2001. Signs of disaffection amongst young, British Muslims were growing. Omar took his family to his hometown of Derby; they moved into his parent's old house, sharing with his elder sister Parveen. By now Derby had also become the biggest centre of Al-Muhajiroun outside London. Every Friday after prayers Omar was driven home by a friend and would talk of his politics. 

15.47

Friend - Anonymous Interview

He used to come out with new ideas and new things like saying, about the McDonalds how you shouldn't eat from down there because your sponsoring America and he goes well most of America is run by the Jew. He used to mostly talk about, about Abu Hamza, he was really fond of him and looked up to him in a kinda way. He used to go to conferences and small meetings, well Al-Muhajiroun and a number of occasions he's told me to go down there with him as well. I've said to him (laughs) no thank you. 

16.22

Narrator

What, if anything, Omar's family knew of his connections with the likes of Al-Muhajiroun would be crucial in their trial. 

 16.30

Parveen Sharif

I wasn't aware that he was part of any group anyway so to me, you know, he's not part of Al-Muhajiroun.

16.40

Narrator

In the months since Damascus, Omar's life had changed. He has found a new evangelical zeal and he had come under the influence of Mohammed Sidique Khan. In the summer of 2001, Sidique Khan was a young teaching assistant from Leeds, yet to achieve notoriety as the leader of the July the 7^th bombers and unknown to British intelligence. Together, Omar, Asif , Sidique Khan and others set about attempting to recruit young Muslims. One of their targets was the staff of a family firm from Manchester.

17.24

Kursheed Faiz

Manchester Businessman

I got a visit from Sidique Khan with a couple of other people, erm one of them was Omar, from Derby I was introduced to him and who we later on found was one of the bombers in Israel so, he was one of them and we got talking and chatting to them and on another occasion, about two, four weeks later perhaps, he came back, Sidique Khan came back with err, another gentleman, he er introduced him as Asif, Asif Hanif, from London who incidentally I had heard of his father, I know him quite well. Sidique khan started enquiring about any people who were young and they wanted to learn the way of Islam.    

18.11

Narrator

Meetings followed. Propaganda videos were central to Islamist recruitment. The videos played on a sense of victimisation of the umma - the international Muslim brotherhood. They also glorified the work of the martyrs dying for the Muslim cause.   

18.48

Kursheed Faiz

Manchester Businessman

They were told, by Sidique, that err in order to learn in the new ways of Islam you may be asked to go to Pakistan, and certain lads said, ‘yeah that'd be OK we'll have a holiday as well but then the names such as Afghanistan and Syria were mentioned so at that stage the lad said, ‘hold on a minute what's going on.' 

19.13

Narrator

The significance of this evidence is potentially far reaching. It shows that Sidique Khan connections to Afghanistan, the base for Al Qaeda, were already established and that his radicalism had started earlier than previously known. It also shows that Omar Sharif was also deeply involved in a nationwide Islamist network. One of the enduring issues for radicals like Sidique Khan was the ultimate target for Omar's bombing - Israel.   

19.49

Demonstrator

Subtitle

The state must declare war against Islam and the Muslim. It is a cancer in the heart of the Muslim world. It must be eradicated and removed. 

 20.02

Home footage of 9/11.

Oh my god, its gotta be a terrorist attack I can't tell you more than that I saw the plane hit the building. 

20.12

2^nd voice.

People are jumping out the windows. Over there, they're jumping out the windows they're trying to save themselves I don't know

20.24

Narrator

The horror of September the 11^th was not universally shared. In Derby, Omar's sister Parveen was working as a supply teacher. Two primary schools gave accounts of her reaction to 9/11. At the first school, children complained that she'd said,  

20.46

1^st school narrator

The Jews were responsible for September the 11^th. She also said that the Americans had asked for it.

20.51

Narrator

At the second school a teacher reported...

20.54

2^nd school Narrator

She made a comment to the children that Osama Bin Laden was a hero. Also that September the 11^th would be a day that would be celebrated and that statues would be built to Osama Bin Laden.

21.04

Narrator

In court, where this evidence was inadmissible, Parveen gave a different account of her reaction.

21.11

Parveen

Everyone was like really gob smacked, you know they just couldn't believe it and I couldn't make sense of it.

21.18

Narrator

But to Omar, it did all make sense. Three weeks after 9/11 he booked annual leave from his call centre job in Derby. On October the 22^nd he flew out to Pakistan. This was the land of his parents. His father had left here with his mother forty years ago. Now their son was returning to their village in a valley in Kashmir. His father had chosen to be buried here. Omar stayed with a friend in the area. On the surface, all looked innocent. He began daily letters to his wife...   

22.48

Omar's letter

24^th of October. I hope this letter reaches you in the best of health. I spoke to you yesterday like I said the first few days have been great all praise be to Allah. I'm staying at my friend's house for about a week, then I'll go to Islamabad for a few months, to study. 

23.12

Narrator.

Tahira said in court that Omar had told her that he had gone to Pakistan for financial reasons.

23.16

Tahira

It was something to do with his father's house in Islamabad, err, something to do with inheritance as far as I was aware. 

23.27

Narrator

In fact, Omar was heading for Afghanistan to go to war against his own countrymen. In the wake of 9/11, the US, Britain and their allies had attacked Afghanistan. More than in any previous conflict, British Muslim's were being inspired to wage Jihad. Al Qaeda and the Taliban were fighting for survival. Omar travelled under the name Abu Hamza, father of Hamza, his first son. It gave him the same name as his mentor at Finsbury park mosque. He went first to the Pakistan HQ for Al Muhajiroun, a transit point for British volunteers heading into Afghanistan.

24.27

Mohammad Ali Qureshi

Administrator Al Muhajiroun, Pakistan

He had some clothes, which he gave away to some kids. He had a bag, he gave that away too saying, pray for me that I may become a martyr in the Afghan war. He wouldn't talk much. He didn't tell us much about himself, nor would he discuss anything with us. He would just pray, recite the holy Koran and then go to sleep. He would remain engrossed in worship. He appeared to be a fighter or someone who'd already received training. I heard that he had been fighting Jihads, maybe in Bosnia or Chechnya perhaps.      

25.11

Narrator

Omar was now travelling with his old friend Asif Hanif.

25.19

Narrator

At Shabqadar, a lawless border town, a truck was waiting for them. Omar and Asif travelled on into the heart of the Afghan war. They fought initially in Kabul, with the foreign fighters unit of the Taliban before retreating on November the 12^th.

25.55

Narrator

On the 30^th of November Omar wrote again.

26.00

Omar's letter

Some people think I look troubled. But I tell everyone that this is my normal expression. One brother who was speaking up there told me to smile...   

He said that on this path you face all sorts of problems and you have to try and overcome them in order to pass your exam in life. I asked one teacher that and he explained to me that missing your family is natural and not from this evil self but Allah wants you to sacrifice everything; comfort, nice food, warmth, music, TV all the way up until the ones you love and then yourself will exchange for paradise.

Eternal happiness. Pray for me, as I pray for you. Know that we believe in the Koran, Islam and what the beloved prophet taught. Paradise is eternal. These actions are for the both of us. We live a normal life, we will have to return one day. So lucky are the few who sell this life for the next. We will definitely (inshallah) meet soon, if not in this world, then in the next. Salaam, Omar.   

27.06

Narrator

The true meaning of Omar's communications home would become increasingly important in determining the guilt or innocence of his family.

27.14

Tahira Tabassum

I think he's just trying to tell me how he is, it's just, its just Omar talking to me in the way that he normally talks to me now I'm used to him speaking to me like this. Muslims, Muslims always talk about tests and um, about life being a test and, erm, you know, the next life.

27.37

Narrator

All foreign fighters were told to return home to avoid the US bombing. They would receive orders later on.

27.43

Mohammad Ali Qureshi

Administrator Al Muhajiroun, Pakistan

When he returned he was completely transformed. He was in a very weakened state. His complexion had become significantly tanned. His beard had grown a lot. I failed to recognise him as being the same person. He was in a very sorry state. He would engross himself in prayers and would cry loudly when he prayed. He would cry, ‘Allah you are annoyed with me and that is why you have not granted me martyrdom in the war.    

28.20

Narrator

After September the 11^th Al Qaeda confidently targeted Europe. In 2002 Italian police tapped two north African al Qaeda operatives. They revealed the existence of a battalion of 25 or 26 units - suicide bombers.

28.40

Conversation between the two North Africans

Our aim is to set up an Islamic army called force 9. in Germany, how are things there? I can't complain. We're already 10. also trying in Belgium and Spain, the Netherlands, turkey, Egypt, Italy France but the centre's still London . Don't worry about money because Saudi Arabia's money is our money. The programme has been created by someone very close to Sheikh Abdullah, and we're grateful to Sheikh Abdullah.

29.02

Abu Abdullah is the nom de guerre for Osama Bin Laden. There is no evidence that Omar and Asif were being referred to, but the two seem to have moved onto the fringes of the informal network Al Qaeda.

29.21

Back in the UK, Omar was now working as a clerk in a medical centre. Tahira was pregnant for the third time, and together they bought a house just down the road from Parveen.

29.34

Narrator

Omar remained politically active. When police raided Abu Hamza's mosque in January 2003, a letter from Omar was found.

29.45

Omar's letter

I wrote this paper about Jihad.  It is about Jihad as part of a methodology to establish the Islamic state.

29.53

Narrator

Omar's paper called for the establishment of a worldwide Islamic state by force.

30.00

Omar's letter

Every occasion in which the prophet and his companions fought jihad was with one objective; to make Allah's religion supreme.

30.09

Narrator talking over news report

Newsreader

Strike on Baghdad...

On this same day March 20^th 2003 American and British forces declared war on Iraq and Saddam Hussein. The allies swept towards Baghdad militant Islamic forces in including Al Qaeda joined the battle. The day after war began, Omar rang Asif for a 78 second call. Their first such contact that year. Omar and Asif had resolved once more to be holy warriors. Muhjahedin. Together they planned to enter Iraq via Syria and Iran. Iran was an entry point for Al Qaeda. Asif investigated flights into Iran. Omar bought a middle eastern guidebook marking up the section on Iran and he rang the Iranian embassy.  Omar's family insist they believe that he simply wanted to take his wife to Syria again to study. A few days before leaving, Omar met up with Zahid and wrote his will. 

31.37

Narrator

The night before he left, Parveen and Tahira held a farewell family dinner. Tahira testified that she expected to join Omar in Syria later.

31.48

Tahira

From court transcripts

As I understood, we were going for a year the same as last time. I had to do the injections for the children and as I understood Omar had a lot to sort out when he got there so he was going alone at first. 

32.09

Narrator

To others Omar had been more explicit about his plans.

32.15

Anonymous interview

Last time I saw him he was talking about Iraq. He wanted to fight with the ammunition like proper guns and things like that and I said you've got no trainings for that. You're not even trained to do anything like that. That's when he mentioned a bit about Afghanistan. When he goes I went to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

32.38

Narrator

He was collected in London by Asif and they were driven to the airport. Omar Sharif and Asif Hanif were on their final mission. But even as they left England the very nature of their mission was changing. Damascus was in ferment, Islamist forces including Al Qaeda and Hamas were using the city as one of the gateways into the Iraq war.  But Abu Asab Al-Zarqarwi the then Al Qaeda leader had halted his resistance operations until after the US operations invasion was complete.  Omar and Asif were too late.

 33.55

Narrator

Omar and Asif's meetings had not gone according to plan. Instead someone gave them a new mission. They were no longer heading to Iraq but south towards Israel. Omar and Asif travelled first to Amman in Jordan. It's believed that they were no longer working with the loose organisation that is Al Qaeda but had been passed into the hands of Hamas.

34.25

Narrator

Police found phone records of a call from Omar to the family home. Parveen and other sister Nazreem and Omar's wife Tahira were all gathered there.

34.36

Tahira Tabassum

Omar heard my voice and then he went quiet and then he began to cry and then I began to cry and I said to him what are you crying for and erm I don't think he said anything and then I said erm, I don't know whether I said please come back or why don't you come back and he said you know I can't come back and then he said, he said, yeah, yeah it's fine, it's fine, you know me I'm just tired and everything. And after that he said erm I'll be going to university in the next few days and then the phone cut off.

35.26

Narrator

The following day, Omar and Asif crossed the Alenby bridge into the West Bank and Israel. Omar and Asif did arouse some suspicion at the border and were detained for questioning. But armed with their British passports they were allowed to enter.

35.55

Omar and Asif made their way through the West Bank to Jerusalem. On April the 15^th they finally arrived at the Eratz crossing into Gaza.  Like Allenby Bridge this was a high security checkpoint. But again Omar and Asif's passports helped them through. Once in Gaza, Omar and Asif borrowed a mobile phone off their taxi driver. They rang the most senior Hamas commander in Gaza Yusuf Abu Hein. It is a sign of their importance to Hamas that they were entrusted with this number.

36.40

Narrator

Over the next three days their mission was confirmed.   Omar and Asif were to be Hamas' first ever, western martyrs or Shaheed. Today Hamas fighters remain proud of them.

36.58

Hamas Spokesperson

In Islam Shaheed means sacrificing ones-self for one's religion, country or honour. In Islam the Shaheed is one who is prepared to give the self and is prepared to die for Allah, so that religion, country or nation might live. Shaheeda are considered to be the most noble people on the face of the earth.

37.34

Narrator

Omar and Asif left Gaza. They were going back to Israel for five days to select their target.

37.55

Narrator

The police later recovered the map with Asif's handwritten notes marking up potential targets. They included Mike's Place. Next morning the two men checked out. Omar decided to contact his family again. Tahira didn't have an email address and Omar directed his letter to Zahid.

38.24

Omar's letter

Salaam Zahid, I hope you are well, please take care of yourself, difficult times may lay ahead for you and the family in the next few weeks or months if Allah wills. Plan now and get rid of any material you may consider problematic. I am in Al Quds. Please give a copy of the following message to my wife. Delete this message.

38.53

Omar's letter

Salam aleykum Tahira, so many amazing things have happened to me on this journey as Allah guides me from place to place and has placed us in the company of his friends. After reaching our destination Allah guided us to his friends who are very happy to see us and said they needed our help very much. I hope you are strong and know that everything is just a test and Allah will reward the patient ones. Look after Hadija, Hamza and Aasea and bring them up well. We did not spend a long time together in this world but I hope through Allah's mercy and your patience we can spend an eternity together.

39.35

Tahira

I was slightly confused and I understood that he was leaving me and the children that he was trying to make me feel better that you know don't worry now but we'll be spending an eternity together. I just felt it was so firm and so final.

39.59

Narrator

Omar collected an email from Parveen. Parveen later testified that this was to encourage him at university. This was the last letter he received before the attack.

40.17

Parveen's letter

We are happy that you are focused in your studies inshallah. We all have to be firm and focused with reality as time is slipping away and there is really no time to be weak and emotional. Your guarantee is for the eternal ahead. There are no goodbyes just a lapse of time. When we see you again it will be like only half a day has passed. Stay focused and determined, you have no time for emotions. From Parveen and everyone. May Allah take care of us all and join us all soon.

41.02

Omar's letter

May Allah bless you. Thank you very much for the letter. I t was very helpful. Inshallah we will all see each other soon. Remember me, Salaam Omar.

41.28

Narrator

At Abu Heim's house they were given training in the procedures for the suicide bombing. They also underwent psychological preparation.

41.43

Hamas Spokesperson

Wearing a military uniform shows they are willing to obey orders. It's important to make sure that the suicide bombers are fully prepared spiritually. That they're still willing to go ahead with the operation. It's just a matter of making sure and to further motivate them. 

42.15

Narrator

As is traditional for suicide bombers Omar Sharif and Asif Hanif recorded a farewell message for the world.

42.15

Asif Hanif

The real terrorists are the Israelis. They are really sickos. I saw it with my own eyes a guy popped his head out the window and the Jew man the dirty Jew said get back in your house. Imagine living like that. If someone's got a gun like this in your face, how are you gonna feel if someone's got a gun like this in your face? How you gonna feel? Muslims are being killed everyday, day in day out, every day be it a soldier a civilian, everyday. It's a great honour to kill one of these people a great honour.

43.05

Narrator

Omar preferred to make his speech in Arabic.

43.10

Omar Sharif

At this time when the shouting and screaming of Muslims has become loud throughout the world, Palestine, and Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya, and this time we say to the old world and declare it as a thunderous scream that the resolve of Muslims will not weaken. We wish to offer our lives in the way of God to please him and to take revenge on our enemies the Jews and the crusaders.

43.53

Ritual purification for entry into paradise requires the shaving of the underarm and pubic hair.

They hid their bombs on their backs where any bulge would go unnoticed.

45.07

Narrator

Following Hamas procedure they left the last of their cash, their passports and book of Koranic verses near the scene where they could easily be found. In two man suicide attacks, the second bomber hangs back and explodes his bomb during the rescue operation. Asif was going in first.

45.35

Avi Tabib

Mike's Place

I saw somebody and something about him didn't, didn't click. Something about him was like too crazy, his body language was like very agitated and I just told him like, not tonight go somewhere else. You're not gonna drink your beer here. Basically I lost consciousness right when it exploded.  

46.08

Narrator

Asif just 21 years old had become Britain's first suicide bomber. He had killed three people and injured fifty. Omar didn't wait for the emergency services to arrive before trying to detonate his bomb among the survivors. The detonator exploded but failed to set off the main charge. Omar didn't panic, unnoticed in the chaos he slipped away. He had failed in his suicide mission now his survival instincts prevailed. Omar was spotted removing his bomb but he got away.

47.52

Narrator

With hundreds of police surrounding the area Omar was trapped. He only had one direction to go the sea, with the hope of swimming upstream a few kilometres. Forensic reports indicate that he drowned in the strong currents. The martyrdom Omar Sharif had sought was denied him.

Thirteen months later at the Old Bailey, Omar's wife Tahira was found ‘not guilty' of failing to alert the authorities to an act of terrorism. With a hung jury Zahid and Parveen were retried and a year later also found ‘not guilty'. Asif's family were also investigated and numerous phone and email exchanges were discovered. No charges were brought. For the families of those killed at Mike's Place, life is still a struggle.

49.08

Orna Weiss

Widow

It hurts you in the chest you suffer from such an oppressive feeling you can't breathe. I went to sleep hugging his empty shirt, I'd wake up screaming in the night and I'd feel so bad for the kids. Dad had been killed and mum was going crazy. What hurts me the most is that those two came from sane, normal families they could easily be the people living next door, your neighbours.

49.47

Narrator

In Britain the victims of Mike's Place were far away and soon forgotten. And so too was Omar Farn Sharif, the shy student dropout. For him the attack had been a martyrdom operation away into paradise according to the certainties of radical Islam. But Britain's first suicide bombing was also an inspiration to fellow jihadists. Perhaps this story should have sounded louder warning bells of trouble to come. Eighteen months after the attack Omar's colleague Mohammed Sidique Khan recorded his own farewell message to the world.

50.27

Sidique Khan

London Tube Bomber

CREDITS START HERE

By presenting ourselves for this work we are guaranteeing ourselves paradise and gaining the good pleasure of...Allah. And by turning our backs on this work we are guaranteeing ourselves the humiliation and anger of Allah. Jihad is an obligation and every single one of us men and women and by staying at home you're turning your backs on Jihad which is a major...Muslims across the world I strongly advise you to sacrifice this life for the hereafter. Save yourselves from the fire and torment. Come back to your religion and bring back your honour. You are not safe not in the East or the West and you'll never have peace until Allah's sharia reigns supreme over these lands. And I myself I may doubt Allah's fathers to raise me amongst those I love, like the prophets, the messengers, the martyrs, the heroes like our lord sheikh Osama Bin Laden, know the other brothers and sisters that are fighting for Allah's cause. -With this I lead you to make up your own minds and I ask you to make dua to Allah almighty and to accept the work from me and my brothers entrusted to gardens of paradise.

ENDS 52 mins