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Friday July 15, 2005

Malaysians: Bombers lived among us?

BY CHOI TUCK WO

10 Clicks To Victory Contest LONDON: Malaysian Azmi Shafeei was dumbfounded when he learnt that two of his neighbours could have been the suicide bombers behind last week’s carnage.

In fact, he believes he has seen and spoken to 19-year-old Hasib Mir Hussain whom police believe was responsible for blowing up the bus in Tavistock Square in which 13 passengers died.

Azmi, who lives in Stratford Street just a few doors away from the suspected bus bomber, said police also raided five houses in Colwyn Road and Tempest Road just three blocks away, where the 30-year-old suspected Edgware Road tube bomber used to stay.

“It is shocking that my wife and I have been staying in the same neighbourhood as these people for the last two years.

Malaysian Azmi Shafeei standing in Stratford Street. He was a neighbour of 19-year-old Hasib Mir Hussain (inset), who police believe was responsible for blowing up the bus in Tavistock Square in London which killed 13 passengers on July 7.
“But all our neighbours seemed to be very nice and friendly. We go to the mosque and pray together, especially during Ramadan,” he said yesterday in a telephone interview from his house in Leeds, about 350km north of London.

About 500 Malaysians, mostly students and their families, are staying in Leeds where Leeds University and Leeds Metropolitan University are located.

However, most of them are concentrated in the Harehills suburb with a sprinkling of families living in Beeston and Holbeck.

Azmi, whose wife Zarina Mohamed Hussain is pursuing her PhD in electrical engineering at Leeds University, said the teenager used to hang out with his friends outside their house.

“He and his friends used to hang around at the so-called Bangladeshi Square in front of our house.

“I used to see some of them going to the mosque every day. They seemed so religious,” said Azim who is from Kelaantan.

He said they knew their neighbours, about 60% of whom are Pakistanis, as ordinary, decent people no different from others.

He said they had no reason to suspect any of their neighbours as being involved in any suspicious activities.

One British newspaper quoted a resident who described Hasib as “not the brightest lad around”, while another said he was “just like the other lads who liked to play football and cricket on the park.”

POLICE PRESENCE: Police officers standing guard in the Burley neighbourhood of Leeds yesterday. The residence of one of the suspected London bombers is believed to be in the neighbourhood.
Police found bits of Hasib’s driving licence and credit cards among the bus wreckage.

Leeds Umno club chairman Muhamad Khairul Abdul Rani urged Malaysians to report to the authorities immediately if they knew of anyone involved in extremist or deviationist groups.

He advised Malaysians not to get involved in such activities as they might end up doing something dangerous and against the teachings of Islam.

“We urge everyone to be vigilant and to avoid travelling alone or at night, especially during times like this.

“If they have to travel, let their friends or neighbours know where they are going. And try not to sit at the back of buses or trains to avoid being harassed,” he added.

Muhamad Khairul, an administrative assistant from Terengganu who had lived in Harehills for eight years, said the situation was generally calm, “but you can never tell.”

Abdul Rahim Othman, a mechanical engineering student in Leeds University, expressed shock that his former Beeston neighbourhood was raided by police.

“It’s unbelievable that my former neighbours could have been the suicide bombers. It’s even more shocking that one of the premises could have been the bomb factory,” he said.

Abdul Rahim, who moved to Kirkstall from Beeston two years ago, said he remembered his former neighbours as peaceful and friendly people.

Malaysian Students Department director Dr Syed Raisudin Syed Abdullah said the central region seemed to be “a bit disturbed”, especially in Leeds, Bradford, Birmingham and Manchester.

“We’re not really comfortable with the combination of the various happenings there. So far, no Malaysians have been affected physically.

“If you are Malaysian or non-European and happen to be among Europeans, chances are they will not be kind in making remarks at you,” he said.

  • As a Malaysian living in Britain, have you had any unpleasant experience in the aftermath of the London terrorist attacks? Share it with us at feedback@thestar.com.my.
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