Three charged over July 7 bombings

The three are the first people to be charged over the 7/7 terror attacks - 21 months after the four blasts which killed 52 innocent people.

Mohammed Shakil, 30, Sadeer Saleem, 26, and Waheed Ali, 23, are accused of conspiracy to cause explosions likely to endanger life. Their alleged co-conspirators are the four men who detonated rucksack bombs on three London Tube trains and a bus on the morning of July 7 2005 - Mohammed Siddique Khan, Shezhad Tanweer, Jermaine Lindsay and Hasib Hussein.

The alleged targets of the conspiracy were the Transport for London system "and/or tourist attractions in London". These attractions were not specified in the details of the charge.

The three accused are all from Beeston - the Leeds suburb where three of the July 7 bombers also had strong connections. However Ali, who until recently was known as Shipon Ullah, has been living in Tower Hamlets, east London. The three men will appear before City of Westminster Magistrates in central London on Saturday morning.

The charges were announced at a joint Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) press conference. They raise the prospect of the first criminal trial covering the events of the London bombings in 2005.

Sue Hemming, head of the Counter Terrorism Division of the CPS, said of three men charged: "The allegation is that they were involved in reconnaissance and planning for a plot with those ultimately responsible for the bombings on July 7 before the plan was finalised."

The allegations did not relate to the specific explosions which occurred on 7/7, "but to earlier planning and reconnaissance", she added. She said the charges had followed a careful review of the evidence and "full consultation" with the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command, said the charges marked a "new stage" in the police inquiry and followed 21 months of "intense investigation". "I appreciate that bringing these charges will have an impact on many people," he said. "For some it will bring back horrible memories of that terrible day. For others there may be some relief that after such a length of time there is some visible progress in an investigation that has had to be kept secret."

The three men have been in custody since March 22. Two of the men were arrested at Manchester Airport when they were due to catch a flight to Pakistan, while the third was arrested at a house in Leeds.