Bombing claims a surprise to Derby

By Bob Walker
BBC News, Derby

Police guard the house in Breedon Hill Road

Breedon Hill Road near the centre of Derby is a quiet, nondescript street, lined with spacious and well-kept semi-detached houses.

But according to the Israeli authorities, this used to be the home of one of the men accused of taking part in a suicide bomb attack in Tel Aviv.

Omar Khan Sharif, 27, managed to escape after apparently failing to set off explosives strapped to his body.

His suspected accomplice, Asif Mohammed Hanif, was killed when he detonated his device after a security guard refused him entry to a bar.

Two men and a woman died in the attack and 60 people were injured.

If you are getting hurt and if you are under attack then you have to fight back

Derby Muslim

Late last night a woman - believed to be Mr Sharif's sister - left the house in Breedon Hill Road and has not returned.

It is thought that Mr Sharif's brother lives in a nearby street but a man who answered the door refused to make any comment or answer questions.

Last night young men attending the Islamic Centre and Mosque in Derby said they had no knowledge of an Omar Khan Sharif and said they were surprised that anyone from the city could have been involved in terrorist activities.

Most condemned the suicide bombing, although one young man said he understood why some Muslims might be driven to attack Israel.

"If you are getting hurt and if you are under attack then you have to fight back," he said.

Election protest

But Mohammed Afzal, a spokesman for the Islamic Centre , said violence was against the Muslim religion and condemned the bombings.

Mr Afzal said he attended a funeral along with 2,000 mourners on Wednesday and no-one had known anything about Omar Sharif.

Derby does not have a reputation for Islamic extremism although in March four terror suspects said to be of Middle Eastern origin were arrested in the city. They were later released without charge.

In 2000 the radical Muslim group Al Muhajiroun organised a rally in Derby to support "their brothers in Palestine".

Leaflets from the group urging Muslims not to take part in the local elections have also started appearing in Derby.

The leaflets claimed all three main political parties have "murdered Muslims" through their support of Israel and military action in Afghanistan and Iraq.

A spokesman for Al Muhajiroun in Derby told the BBC Mr Sharif was not a member of the organisation.