Bin Laden was in on 2005 and 2006 London plots (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Osama bin Laden was aware of the plot in which al Qaeda militants bombed London transport facilities on July 7, 2005, but it was the last successful operation he played a role in, U.S. government experts have concluded.

Circumstantial evidence, including information gathered from the Abbotabad, Pakistan, hide-out where U.S. Navy SEALs killed bin Laden on May 2, also suggests that bin Laden had advance knowledge of an unsuccessful London-based 2006 plot to simultaneously bomb U.S.-bound transatlantic flights, several U.S. national security officials said.

"Bin Laden was absolutely a detail guy. We have every reason to believe that he was aware of al Qaeda's major plots during the planning phase, including the airline plot in 2006 and the London '7-7' attacks," one of the U.S. officials told Reuters. This official and others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss counter-terrorism matters.

Some of the confidence U.S. officials expressed about bin Laden's involvement in the London attacks is based on analytical judgment rather than ironclad proof. Two of the officials said that there was no "smoking gun" evidence proving that he orchestrated the plots.

However, they and other U.S. officials said there is strong evidence, including material collected from bin Laden's lair, indicating that, as the London-based plots unfolded, bin Laden was in close contact with other al Qaeda militants. One official said bin Laden was "immersed in operational details" of the group's activities.

"We believe he was aware of these plots ahead of time," one of the officials said.

Fifty-two civilians, and four suicide bombers, died in the July 7, 2005, attacks on three London underground trains and a double-decker bus. Hundreds were injured. It was "the last successful operation Osama bin Laden oversaw," a second official said.

The latest assessments from U.S. and other Western officials support assertions by the Obama administration that, despite years of apparent isolation in Abbotabad, bin Laden still managed to keep in touch with activities -- sometimes in considerable detail -- of his followers around the world.

NO EVIDENCE OF NEW PLOTS

By the same token, the cache of evidence found in bin Laden's lair does not offer new indications about any specific current plots he was involved in directed at U.S. or other Western targets.

Investigations by British authorities, with support from the United States and other allies, established some time ago that elements of al Qaeda's core leadership had played a role in the 2005 London transport attacks.

Investigators found evidence that Mohammad Sidique Khan, leader of the four-man militant cell who carried out the bombings, and another cell member had traveled to Pakistan for paramilitary training before the attacks.

Until recently, however, investigators had not linked bin Laden personally to the July 7, 2005, attacks. Two weeks after those bombings, a cell of militants attempted a second round of attacks on London transport facilities but their bombs failed to go off.

A Western official said there was also reason to believe that al Qaeda's core leadership was involved in orchestrating subsequent failed plots against European and U.S. targets.

One of the plots that U.S. officials believe bin Laden was at least aware of was a 2006 plot to bomb multiple U.S.-bound transatlantic airline flights using home-made liquid explosives.

The plot was disrupted when British authorities launched a major roundup of suspects. Flights to and from Britain were severely disrupted and tight new restrictions were placed on passenger carry-on items such as liquids and gels.

U.S. and European officials also believe that al Qaeda "senior leadership" supervised a 2009 plot, led by an Afghan immigrant, to bomb New York's subway system. That plot was disrupted when U.S. authorities arrested the alleged mastermind, Najibullah Zazi, and a handful of associates.

Since bin Laden was killed, evidence has emerged that he was personally involved in plots against European targets last year, one U.S. official said. Intelligence about these plots led to the issuing of public travel warnings by European and U.S. government agencies beginning late September.

Counter-terrorism officials warned at the time that militants might be targeting cities in European countries, including Germany, France and Britain, for strikes similar to the commando attacks in Mumbai, India, which a group of Pakistan-based militants carried out in November 2008.

(Editing by Warren Strobel and Mohammad Zargham)

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London shares jump after EU deal on Greek debt (AFP)

LONDON (AFP) – Share prices jumped in early London trade on Friday after Europe reached a deal to avoid a Greek debt default.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index climbed 78.01 points or 1.38% to at 5,752.39 at 8:29 am.

Greece, the EU and the IMF agreed early Friday on the final details of a 28 billion euros ($40 billion) savings plan that Athens needs to implement over the next five years in order to obtain cash to pay off its immediate debts.

The European Commission said the deal among international backers on the ground in Athens now has to be "translated into concrete legislative measures" by Greece.

However, investors are still nervous as they wait to see if Prime Minister George Papandreou can get his austerity measures though parliament next week.

But energy stocks were weak after the International Energy Authority's decision to release 60 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves, dealers said.

The agency said it made the move to make up for lost output in Libya and to give the global economy relief from high energy prices. It is only the third time the Paris-based group has taken such a step.

On the London market, natural resources stocks were the biggest gainers, with Antofagasta gaining 3.07% to 1,275 pence, Randgold adding 2.77% to 5,015 pence, Xstrata rising 2.73% to 1,277.50 pence and Kazakhmys up 2.72% to 1,285 pence.

Satellite communications operator Inmarsat was the only FTSE-100 faller, shedding 0.79% to 562.50 pence.

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Obama in London: Ping-pong diplomacy and pomp bolster 'special relationship' (The Christian Science Monitor)

London – The focus as President Obama starts his three-day state visit to Britain today is strengthening what's long been termed the "special relationship."

To many in Britain, the relationship is no longer as special as they might hope. As the historian Niall Ferguson said this morning in an interview on BBC Radio 4, “The British think they’re in a special relationship, but the Americans have quite a few special relationships and I don't think that we’re the most special.”

The need to stress the close bonds between the US and the UK is partly an admission of the trickier relationships the US has with the rest of Europe right now and partly a nod to British support in Afghanistan.

But the relationship is hardly in danger, according to Alexis Crow of the London think tank Chatham House. “Ireland, the UK, and Poland are steadfast allies for the US so this is a step into shallow water for him,” she says. “There’s so much publicity here and back in the US and if you’re looking ahead to 2012, this kind of coverage plays well to the east coast voters and well-educated voters. But at the same time he has made it clear his No. 1 priority is the economy.”

IN PICTURES: President Obama visits Britain

Obama is sometimes seen here as the least Anglophile of recent presidents. But he remains hugely popular – and appears bent on fortifying the foundation on which the two countries stand. Writing jointly with Prime Minister David Cameron in the Times, Obama states the bond between the US and the UK is not just a special relationship but “an essential relationship – for us and for the world.”

In the same article, Obama and Mr. Cameron refer to the relationship between former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and former President Ronald Reagan, and how their partnership helped end the cold war. They suggest the same links between the US and the UK today can make a similar contribution to peace and prosperity around the world.

But, suggests Ms. Crow, the world has moved on and the relationship between the two nations with it.

“It’s a much more complex picture today for Washington as is seeks to choose allies,” she says. “For the last 70 years, it’s automatically looked to its NATO allies as default allies, but now it’s going to have be more flexible as it looks to manage security risks collectively around the world.”

In the long run, she adds, the UK will not necessarily be the default ally of the US.

That said, Obama clearly has a great personal rapport with Cameron, with whom he teamed up to challenge students at London's Globe Academy to a ping-pong match. His relationship with the queen is equally comfortable. So for now, at least, it’s all sweetness and smiles, as the president and his wife, Michelle, enjoy all the pomp and pageantry a state visit to the UK entails.

That included a 41-gun salute this morning when the Obamas were welcomed by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace, where the Obamas will stay for the next two nights. Obama and former President Bush are the only two presidents to have been honored with a full state visit during her reign.

After meeting the recently married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the president and his wife visited Westminster Abbey. Tonight, the queen hosts a state banquet at the palace in their honor, before Obama addresses the houses of Parliament tomorrow.

IN PICTURES: President Obama visits Britain

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