Yasin Hassan Omar
Encyclopedia
Yasin Hassan Omar (born January 1, 1983) was convicted for his role in the attempted 21st July attacks on London's public transport system
. He was found guilty of attempting to detonate a device on the London Underground
Victoria Line
tube train between Warren Street
and Oxford Circus
tube stations. In August 2005 police gave his age as 24.
has reported that Omar was originally from Somalia
and arrived in the UK as a child dependent of asylum seekers, in 1992. He was granted indefinite leave to remain
in 2000.
, England. He was then taken to London's Paddington Green police station
for questioning.
Police used a 'Taser' stun gun
to detain him. This was criticised as an incredible risk by Metropolitan Police Commissioner
Ian Blair
, saying "If there is a bomb on that body, then the bomb is going to go off". This risk was played down by West Midlands Police
, who said Sir Ian Blair did not know the full circumstances surrounding the arrest, but they still voluntarily referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission
.
His fiancée, Fardosa Abdullah, was arrested on October 4, 2006. She is charged with assisting Omar in evading arrest and with failing to disclose information which could have led to Omar's arrest or conviction "as soon as reasonably practicable".
On 9 July 2007, Yasin Hassan Omar was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court
of conspiracy to murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, with a tariff of a minimum of forty years before being considered for release.
21 July 2005 London bombings
On 21 July 2005, four attempted bomb attacks disrupted part of London's public transport system two weeks after the 7 July 2005 London bombings. The explosions occurred around midday at Shepherd's Bush, Warren Street and Oval stations on London Underground, and on a bus in Shoreditch...
. He was found guilty of attempting to detonate a device on the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
Victoria Line
Victoria Line
The Victoria line is a deep-level London Underground line running from the south to the north-east of London. It is coloured light blue on the Tube map...
tube train between Warren Street
Warren Street tube station
Warren Street tube station is a London Underground station, located at the intersection of Tottenham Court Road and Euston Road. It is on the branch of the Northern Line, between and , and the Victoria Line between and Euston. It is in Travelcard Zone 1 and is the nearest tube station to...
and Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus tube station
-External links:* ** ** * Plans of the station after the Victoria Line works , , *...
tube stations. In August 2005 police gave his age as 24.
Omar's background
The BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
has reported that Omar was originally from Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and arrived in the UK as a child dependent of asylum seekers, in 1992. He was granted indefinite leave to remain
Indefinite leave to remain
Indefinite leave to remain is an immigration status granted to a person who does not hold right of abode in the United Kingdom , but who has been admitted to the UK without any time limit on his or her stay and who is free to take up employment or study, without restriction...
in 2000.
Arrest
Omar was one of four men arrested on Wednesday 27 July 2005 at 0430 BST, in a property on Heybarnes Road, in the Small Heath area of BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England. He was then taken to London's Paddington Green police station
Paddington Green Police Station
Paddington Green Police Station is located in Paddington, central London, England. The station is operated by the Metropolitan Police Service, and is a conventional police station, open to members of the public twenty-four hours a day. It also serves as the most important high-security station in...
for questioning.
Police used a 'Taser' stun gun
Electroshock gun
An electroshock weapon is an incapacitant weapon used for incapacitating a person by administering electric shock aimed at disrupting superficial muscle functions. One type is a conductive energy device , an electroshock gun popularly known by the brand name "Taser", which fires projectiles that...
to detain him. This was criticised as an incredible risk by Metropolitan Police Commissioner
Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is the head of London's Metropolitan Police Service, classing the holder as a chief police officer...
Ian Blair
Ian Blair
Ian Warwick Blair, Baron Blair of Boughton, QPM is a retired British Police officer who held the position of commissioner of police of the metropolis from 2005 to 2008 and was the highest ranking officer within the Metropolitan Police Service.On 2 October 2008 Blair announced that he would...
, saying "If there is a bomb on that body, then the bomb is going to go off". This risk was played down by West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.Covering an area with nearly 2.6 million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and also the Black Country; the force is made up...
, who said Sir Ian Blair did not know the full circumstances surrounding the arrest, but they still voluntarily referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission
Independent Police Complaints Commission
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is a non-departmental public body in England and Wales responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales.-Role:...
.
Charges
On August 6, 2005 he was charged with four criminal charges:- On or before 21 July, conspiracy with others unknown to murderMurderMurder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
passengers on the London transport system. - On 21 July, attempted murder of passengers on the London transport system.
- On or before 21 July, conspiracy with others unknown to cause explosions likely to endanger life or cause serious damage to property.
- On 21 July, unlawful and malicious possession of explosives with the intent of endangering life or causing serious damage to property.
Trial
On April 28, 2006, Omar, along with his co-accused pleaded not guilty to all charges and was placed on trial with 5 other suspects.His fiancée, Fardosa Abdullah, was arrested on October 4, 2006. She is charged with assisting Omar in evading arrest and with failing to disclose information which could have led to Omar's arrest or conviction "as soon as reasonably practicable".
On 9 July 2007, Yasin Hassan Omar was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court
Woolwich Crown Court
Woolwich Crown Court, located at 2 Belmarsh Road, Thamesmead is one of twelve Crown Courts serving Greater London.It stands adjacent to both HM Prison Belmarsh and Belmarsh Magistrate's Court. Operational from 1993, it has 7 courtrooms and deals with more than 750 cases a year. Until recently,...
of conspiracy to murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, with a tariff of a minimum of forty years before being considered for release.