Bombing suspects led unassuming lives

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LONDON -- The four suspects in the London suicide bombings were young men who had lived outwardly normal lives in the northern English city of Leeds.

That leaves police, politicians, Britain's 1.7 million Muslims and a nation known for its multicultural tolerance asking the same anguished question -- what turned these young men into killers?

Just hours before heading south to London with two of the three fellow suspected bombers, Shahzad Tanweer, 22, had played cricket, his favorite pastime, and kicked around a soccer ball on the local sports field.

The previous evening, Tanweer, who had been studying sports at college, had greeted friends cheerfully as he drove his brand-new red Mercedes-Benz.

The car had just been given to him by his adoring father, Mohammed Tanweer, who immigrated to Britain from Pakistan 30 years ago.

Sometimes, Tanweer would help out at his father's successful fish-and-chips shop, serving behind the counter or supervising the cooking.

His uncle, Bashir Ahmed, who runs a local kebab shop, was baffled and distraught at his link to the bombings.

"I saw him grow up," Mr. Ahmed recalled, as his wife sobbed. "He was a very decent person. His family is broken. I don't think we can survive here much longer."

Even more baffling for security services, local community leaders, friends and neighbors is that the men had shown no obvious outward signs of planning any form of violence against anyone.

In hindsight, however, there were some telltale signs recently. One was a sudden increase in their religious observance, with two of the bombers spending much more time in a local mosque.