Man charged in failed London bombings
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-23 08:45

British police investigating the failed July 21 London bombings on Thursday charged a student with conspiracy to cause explosions, authorities said.

London's Metropolitan Police identified the man as 23-year-old Adel Yahya. He was arrested Tuesday at Gatwick Airport as he got off a flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

He was charged with conspiring with four other men �� all of whom are awaiting trial over the plot to attack three subway trains and a double-decker bus �� "to cause by an explosive substance, explosions of a nature likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property."

Yahya, from north London, is scheduled to appear in court Friday.

A total of 16 people have now been charged in connection with the attempted attacks, which did not kill anyone as the bombs failed to detonate. But they shook Britain's capital two weeks after near identical suicide bombings killed 52 commuters on July 7.

Five men are accused of plotting to murder passengers on London's transit system on July 21 and face trial in September.

Muktar Said Ibrahim, 27, Ramzi Mohamed, 23, Yassin Omar, 24, Hussein Osman, 27, are accused of trying to bomb three subway trains and a bus.

The fifth suspect, Manfo Kwaku Asiedu, 32, was arrested after a backpack of explosives was found in a raid. All face a charge of conspiracy to murder.

Ethiopian-born Osman has said through his lawyer that the bombing attempt was meant to scare people, not kill them.

Yahya is accused of conspiring with Osman, Ibrahim, Asiedu and Omar.

A further 10 people have been charged in connection with the attempted attacks �� for failing to disclose information about the suspects and helping them evade arrest.