Sunday, July 17 2005 11:09 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Three of the London suicide bombers visited Pakistan last year, two top security officials told Agencies yesterday (July 16, 2005).

Mohammad Siddique Khan, 30, and Shehzad Tanweer, 22, came together in November 2004, arriving at Karachi Airport, and returned to Britain in early February, the officials said on condition of anonymity.

Hasib Hussain, 18, the youngest of the three ethnic Pakistani Britons, came separately on an undisclosed occasion last year, also to Karachi, and went back to Britain shortly afterwards, the officials added.

The officials said they had not been able to trace the three men's movements while they were in Pakistan.

"We are looking for their movements in Pakistan but so far we have not got anything concrete," one of the Karachi-based security officials said.

"We don't know which organisation or which group they had been meeting here. But we are on it and we expect that the British Government will give us some information on this."

The two officials said they had no confirmation that either Khan or Shehzad had visited any Islamic schools, known as madrasas, while in Pakistan.

Shehzad's uncle has been quoted as saying his nephew studied at one of the schools.

"According to the efforts we have made so far we know that both Siddique and Shehzad did not go to any known seminary here. But we are still checking," one of the officials said.