Hamara Youth Access Point

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The Hamara Youth Access Point (Hyap) is a drop-in centre for teens in Leeds, Britain, 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.

Both Shehzad Tanweer, 22, and Hasib Hussain, 19, who have been identified as probable suicide bombers, frequented the Hyap, according to police, as did Naveed Fiaz, another man with connections to the suspects. 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.

Police have searched the premises and confiscated for forensic investigation items such as computers.

[edit] Iqra bookshop

The Hyap's status permitted it to apply for grants from the UK government for various program monies totalling more than £1 million. 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. One of the Iqra workers is Naveed Fiaz.

[edit] References

• Jenkins, Russell. "Killers may have been recruited at youth centre", The Times, 16 July 2005. 
• Armstrong, Jeremy. "Propaganda shop -- funded by lottery cash", The Mirror, 19 July 2005.