Hamara Youth Access Point

The Hamara Youth Access Point (Hyap) is a drop-in centre for teens in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, operated by the Hamara Healthy Living Centre, an Islamic charity partly funded by the UK government. The drop-in centre was frequented by several of the suspects in the 7 July 2005 London bombings, and is believed to have been where some were recruited into the terrorist cell.

2005 controversy

In 2005, police searched the premises and confiscated for forensic investigation items such as computer hard drives.[1] Both Shehzad Tanweer, 22, and Hasib Hussain, 19, who have since been proven to be suicide bombers, frequented the Hyap, according to police, as did Naveed Fiaz, another man with connections to the suspects.[2] Fiaz has been arrested and is being questioned, but it is not known what his role was; his brother, Ejaz Fiaz, was initially thought to have been one of the four bombers, but has disappeared. The Leeds teacher Mohammed Sadique Khan, 30, also identified by police as a suicide bomber, acted as a mentor to youths at the centre.

The centre is directly across the street from a mosque, which is said to have asked Khan and others to stop having political activities there, including community meetings opposed to UK policy in Iraq, which they then moved to the centre.

The Hyap's status permitted it to apply for grants from the UK government for various program monies totalling more than £1 million.[3] Among the programs funded this way was the Iqra bookshop, which sold Islamic materials, including religious tracts and political videos and DVDs, claimed to be anti-West propaganda. The Leeds suspects are believed to have watched some of the DVDs with graphic footage of civilian deaths in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the West Bank.

The home of at least one worker at Iqra has been searched for possible connections to the bombings.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Campbell, Duncan; Norton-Taylor, Richard (15 July 2005). "London bomb net widens". theguardian.com. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  2. ↑ Laville, Sandra; Gillan, Audrey; Aslam, Dilpazier (14 July 2005). "'Father figure' inspired young bombers". theguardian.com. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  3. 1 2 Jonathan Petre, Nick Britten and Paul Stokes (15 July 2005). "Bomb experts search youth centre where terrorists hatched their plot". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
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