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16 still quizzed over London bomb attempts

London - Security alert now over
London - Security alert now over

Police in London investigating the attempted bombings on 21 July have tonight released another man without charge.

16 suspects are still being questioned in connection with the attempted bomb attacks in the city.

Most of those are being held in the high-security Paddington Green police station.

Earlier, two men and a woman arrested in Brighton on Sunday were released without charge.

Detectives must release or charge one of their key suspects, Yassin Hassan Omar, tomorrow.

Under anti-terrorism laws, suspects can be held for up to 14 days before they must be charged or released.

Today, a small fire on a bus caused a major security alert in the British capital.

Emergency services rushed to the scene at Gray's Inn Road, near Kings Cross station, and roads were sealed off while police investigated the incident.

Reports that a suspect package had been found on the bus were later proved false.

Government campaign with ethnic communities

The British government has begun a campaign of building bridges with the country's ethnic communities in the wake of last month's bombings by suspected Islamic militants. 

A Home Office Minister, Hazel Blears, held the first of eight meetings with Muslim leaders across the country today in the hope of countering radical tendencies among young people. 

Ms Blears earlier said she would be opposed to the use of racial profiling by police trying to prevent any further bombings. 

She was speaking after the head of the British Transport Police, Ian Johnston, suggested his officers would be concentrating on particular racial groups.

Meanwhile it was revealed today that crimes motivated by religious hatred in London have rocketed by nearly 600% since the 7 July bombings.

They include verbal and physical attacks and criminal damage to property including mosques.

Scotland Yard figures showed there were 269 such incidents reported since the suicide bombings compared to only 40 in the same three-and-a-half week period last year.

Underground line reopens

London's Hammersmith and City underground line has reopened having been out of operation since the suicide bombings on three tube stations and a double-decker bus on 7 July.

Repair and engineering works at Aldgate and Edgware Road stations are now complete.

However, services on the Piccadilly line are still affected following the explosion on a train between King's Cross and Russell Square. Repair work is also continuing on the Circle line.

Brazil meeting

Separately, a senior London police officer has travelled to Brazil to meet the parents of a man who was mistakenly shot dead at an underground station last month. 

Deputy Assistant Commissioner John Yates is believed to have discussed the issue of compensation with the parents of the man, Jean Charles de Menezes.

Officers mistook the 27-year-old electrician for a suicide bomber.