2 UK car bombing suspects freed

Published July 16, 2007

LONDON, July 15: Two suspects in the failed car bombings in Britain have been released without charge, British police said on Sunday, as Australia defended its tough new anti-terrorism laws that held a suspect there.

The pair, whose identities have not been disclosed but are thought to be trainee doctors aged 25 and 28, were arrested on July 2.

They were among eight people held after two cars packed with petrol, gas canisters and nails were found in central London on June 29 and a flaming Jeep Cherokee slammed into Glasgow Airport's main terminal building a day later.

Three people — two in Britain and one in Australia — have been charged over the failed attacks, one man remains in custody and another is under police guard in hospital. The eighth person, a woman, has been released.

Meanwhile, the debate about balancing civil liberties with the need to fight extremism continued in both Britain and Australia.

In Britain, police have up to 28 days to detain and question security suspects, subject to regular judicial review, after former prime minister Tony Blair's proposal of a 90-day maximum was rejected by parliament.

But the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), Ken Jones, told The Observer newspaper on Sunday.—AFP

Opinion

Editorial

Doctor attacked
09 Jun, 2026

Doctor attacked

AN act of reprehensible violence has shaken the medical community. On Saturday, an employee of the Provincial Civil...
AJK flare-up
Updated 09 Jun, 2026

AJK flare-up

The situation started deteriorating after a trader affiliated with the JAAC was reportedly shot in an altercation with law-enforcers.
Fault lines
09 Jun, 2026

Fault lines

THE April 8 ceasefire that halted hostilities between Israel and Iran has encountered its most serious test yet....
Soft on traders
08 Jun, 2026

Soft on traders

THE Fixed Tax Asaan Scheme for traders with an annual turnover of up to Rs200m has been designed as a ‘pragmatic...
Ceasefire in name
Updated 08 Jun, 2026

Ceasefire in name

Both sides accuse the other of violating the truce that was supposed to halt the conflict in April, yet neither appears willing to abandon negotiations altogether.
Damaged childhoods
08 Jun, 2026

Damaged childhoods

CHILD abuse is so prevalent that the UN ranked Pakistan as the least safe country for children. Even so, more than...