Suicide bomber traced back to the UK...

I'm glad they're not blowing things up in the UK...but a warning that we must be aware of what's going on in mosques...

The first suspected suicide bomber to travel from Britain to attack coalition troops in Iraq lived in Manchester, police said yesterday, as they raided a red-brick terrace house where he once stayed.

The man, a 41-year-old French national of north African background, had spoken to friends at a mosque in Manchester of his desire to fight jihad, or holy war, in Iraq. He is thought to have blown himself up in an attack four months ago.

The raid by Greater Manchester police was part of an operation, involving MI5 and MI6, which was based on information supplied by Iraqi security services, and intelligence about comments made by, and about, the man in at least one mosque he attended in Britain.

Security officials said an Iraqi investigation identified the Algerian-born suspect and traced him to the address in Moss Side.

Shortly after telling people about his plans to become involved in attacks in Iraq he was said to have "disappeared off the face of the earth". After February, it is understood, there were references locally to his "not coming back".