Bombers photo row fuels demands for 7/7 inquiry

LONDON, May 2 (Reuters) Calls for an independent public inquiry into the 2005 London suicide bombings grew today after it was alleged MI5 withheld surveillance information from MPs investigating the 7/7 blasts.

Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) was shown a single picture by the security services of the bombers' ringleader Mohammed Sidique Khan talking with suspected terrorists.

The picture included some of the fertiliser bomb plotters, five of whom were sentenced to life at the Old Bailey this week for plotting to carry out al-Qaeda-inspired bomb attacks across Britain.

The ISC subsequently concluded in a report that the security services were justified in not regarding Khan and fellow bomber Shehzad Tanweer as priorities.

But the BBC has now claimed that in fact six surveillance photos existed.

MI5 apparently did not pass on the other five to the committee because they were taken by police officers, a security source told the BBC.

Survivors and relatives of the victims, as well opposition politicians, have demanded a full independent inquiry -- a request that has been turned down by Prime Minister Tony Blair and Home Secretary John Reid, who say it will divert resources from anti-terror operations.

Instead, Blair has asked the ISC to re-examine its report.

But Conservative home affairs spokesman David Davis was not satisfied.

''According to their report, the ISC were told of a poor quality photograph of Mohammed Sidique Khan -- we now know there were six still photographs, at least one of them quite clear, and a video,'' he said.

''This was not shown to the committee. It looks as though someone is being economical with the evidence.

''There can surely be no argument now: we must have an independent judge-led inquiry, with the powers to find out how these mistakes were made.'' MI5 Director-General Jonathan Evans said this week the agency has ''never been complacent''.

Referring to 7/7, he said on the MI5 Web site: ''The sense of disappointment felt across the service at not being able to prevent the attack (despite our efforts to prevent all such atrocities) will always be with us.'' REUTERS ABM KN1552