UK IT centre run by Pakistanis funded London bombings?
Manager denies Government money went to Pakistan following Learndirect raids
Rob Waugh, Chris Benfield and Kate O'Hara
POLICE are investigating whether money from a publicly-funded training centre was used to support the activities of the July 7 suicide bombers, the Yorkshire Post can reveal.
Rob Waugh, Chris Benfield and Kate O'Hara
POLICE are investigating whether money from a publicly-funded training centre was used to support the activities of the July 7 suicide bombers, the Yorkshire Post can reveal.
The IT2 Home centre in Darnall, Sheffield, has received in the region of £500,000 from the Government-backed Learndirect scheme in the last academic year and detectives are looking into whether any of the centre's money had been transferred to Pakistan to support the terrorists who carried out the bombings in London.
It is understood the inquiry could revolve around a substantial amount of money allegedly paid to a charity in Pakistan.
A source at Scotland Yard told the Yorkshire Post: "One of the lines of inquiry we are looking at is the possibility that money (from the Sheffield training centre) has gone to Pakistan that may have supported the activities of the bombers."
A substantial amount of computer equipment was seized during searches of IT2 Home and its sister organisation, Idoo PC, in Beeston, Leeds, last month but no arrests have been made.
The University for Industry, which authorised the public funding for IT2 Home, suspended funding for the centre immediately following the raid and has halted all Learndirect courses pending the inquiry's outcome.
However, Amar Mahmood, manager and former director of the Sheffield centre, hotly denied any money had gone to Pakistan and was angry at the suggestion.
"No money has gone from this centre to Pakistan," he said. "I can guarantee no money has gone out of our accounts to Pakistan."
Mr Mahmood also said he did not know any of the bombers and neither did any of the staff at the Sheffield centre.
The Metropolitan Police have declined to officially comment on the reasons for executing search warrants at IT2 Home and Idoo PC, which formerly provided publicly-funded computer training but is now a computer sales, maintenance and supplies outlet.
In the last academic year, August 2004 to July 2005, IT2 Home enrolled 955 learners on a total of 4,864 courses. As well as offering computer training, it also acts as a community resource for the largely Muslim Asian local population, providing easy access to the internet and email.
It can also be revealed that Idoo PC is currently the subject of a separate police inquiry into alleged financial irregularities. In October 2003 the Learning Skills Council, which was then responsible for funding Learndirect courses, referred Idoo PC (then also known as IT2 Home) to West Yorkshire police following an internal inquiry.
A West Yorkshire Police spokeswoman confirmed this inquiry was ongoing but said it was unconnected to Operation Thesis, the suicide bombing inquiry.
Imran Bham, the manager of Idoo PC has not responded to requests to comment when approached by the Yorkshire Post.
Learndirect is a network of more than 2,000 online learning centres used by almost two million people over the last five years. It is funded by the Department for Education and Skills and run by the University for Industry, based in Sheffield.
Learndirect severed connections with the Leeds centre after the alleged irregularities were uncovered and had also requested that local 'hub' funding distributors took steps to ensure the owners and directors had no connections with the Leeds centre.
However, Mr Mahmood is Mr Bham's brother-in-law, and Mr Bham's wife, India Honeyball and his brother Mohammed Yusuf Bham, are secretary and a director of the Sheffield centre.
A UFI spokeswoman said it had been assured that all connections between the Leeds centre and the Sheffield centre had been severed and that hubs had taken reasonable steps to ensure the new owners/ directors of the Sheffield centre were not connected to the Leeds centre.
She added: "All Learndirect centres were put out to tender earlier this year. We were not aware of any family connections between these centres at the point when the hub re-contracted with them."
The attacks on July 7 killed 52 people. The bombers, Shehzad Tanweer, of Beeston, Leeds, Mohammad Sidique Khan, who moved from Beeston, Leeds, to Dewsbury, Hasib Hussain from Holbeck, Leeds, and Jermaine Lindsay from Huddersfield, who had recently moved to Aylesbury, all died in the rush hour attacks.
rob.waugh@ypn.co.uk
It is understood the inquiry could revolve around a substantial amount of money allegedly paid to a charity in Pakistan.
A source at Scotland Yard told the Yorkshire Post: "One of the lines of inquiry we are looking at is the possibility that money (from the Sheffield training centre) has gone to Pakistan that may have supported the activities of the bombers."
A substantial amount of computer equipment was seized during searches of IT2 Home and its sister organisation, Idoo PC, in Beeston, Leeds, last month but no arrests have been made.
The University for Industry, which authorised the public funding for IT2 Home, suspended funding for the centre immediately following the raid and has halted all Learndirect courses pending the inquiry's outcome.
However, Amar Mahmood, manager and former director of the Sheffield centre, hotly denied any money had gone to Pakistan and was angry at the suggestion.
"No money has gone from this centre to Pakistan," he said. "I can guarantee no money has gone out of our accounts to Pakistan."
Mr Mahmood also said he did not know any of the bombers and neither did any of the staff at the Sheffield centre.
The Metropolitan Police have declined to officially comment on the reasons for executing search warrants at IT2 Home and Idoo PC, which formerly provided publicly-funded computer training but is now a computer sales, maintenance and supplies outlet.
In the last academic year, August 2004 to July 2005, IT2 Home enrolled 955 learners on a total of 4,864 courses. As well as offering computer training, it also acts as a community resource for the largely Muslim Asian local population, providing easy access to the internet and email.
It can also be revealed that Idoo PC is currently the subject of a separate police inquiry into alleged financial irregularities. In October 2003 the Learning Skills Council, which was then responsible for funding Learndirect courses, referred Idoo PC (then also known as IT2 Home) to West Yorkshire police following an internal inquiry.
A West Yorkshire Police spokeswoman confirmed this inquiry was ongoing but said it was unconnected to Operation Thesis, the suicide bombing inquiry.
Imran Bham, the manager of Idoo PC has not responded to requests to comment when approached by the Yorkshire Post.
Learndirect is a network of more than 2,000 online learning centres used by almost two million people over the last five years. It is funded by the Department for Education and Skills and run by the University for Industry, based in Sheffield.
Learndirect severed connections with the Leeds centre after the alleged irregularities were uncovered and had also requested that local 'hub' funding distributors took steps to ensure the owners and directors had no connections with the Leeds centre.
However, Mr Mahmood is Mr Bham's brother-in-law, and Mr Bham's wife, India Honeyball and his brother Mohammed Yusuf Bham, are secretary and a director of the Sheffield centre.
A UFI spokeswoman said it had been assured that all connections between the Leeds centre and the Sheffield centre had been severed and that hubs had taken reasonable steps to ensure the new owners/ directors of the Sheffield centre were not connected to the Leeds centre.
She added: "All Learndirect centres were put out to tender earlier this year. We were not aware of any family connections between these centres at the point when the hub re-contracted with them."
The attacks on July 7 killed 52 people. The bombers, Shehzad Tanweer, of Beeston, Leeds, Mohammad Sidique Khan, who moved from Beeston, Leeds, to Dewsbury, Hasib Hussain from Holbeck, Leeds, and Jermaine Lindsay from Huddersfield, who had recently moved to Aylesbury, all died in the rush hour attacks.
rob.waugh@ypn.co.uk
posted by India News Watch at 6:17 AM
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