THE four suicide bombers who killed 52 commuters on London's transport network on 7 July made their deadly backpack bombs using ordinary products such as hair bleach and a food preservative, detectives from the United States said.
New York police officers claimed the bombs were manufactured in Leeds, where the bombers lived, then transported south using drink coolers.
The details, based partly on information obtained by New York officers who were sent to London to monitor the investigation, emerged during a briefing by Ray Kelly, New York's police commissioner, to city business leaders working in the security field. "Initially it was thought that perhaps the materials were high-end military explosives that were smuggled, but it turns out not to be the case," he said.
He added: "It's more like these terrorists went to a hardware store or some beauty supply store."
Mr Kelly said investigators believe the bombs were made using a peroxide-based explosive called HMDT, or hexamethylene triperoxide diamine.
HMDT can be made using ordinary ingredients such as hair bleach, citric acid and heat tablets.
KAREN McVEIGH
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