Hamara Youth Access Point
The Hamara Youth Access Point (Hyap) is a drop-in centre for teens in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, 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.
2005 controversy
In 2005, police searched the premises and confiscated for forensic investigation items such as computer hard drives.[1] Both Shehzad Tanweer, 22, and Hasib Hussain, 19, who have since been proven to be suicide bombers, frequented the Hyap, according to police.[2] 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.
The Hyap's status permitted it to apply for grants from the UK government for various program monies totalling more than £1 million.[3]
References
- Campbell, Duncan; Norton-Taylor, Richard (15 July 2005). "London bomb net widens". theguardian.com. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
- Laville, Sandra; Gillan, Audrey; Aslam, Dilpazier (14 July 2005). "'Father figure' inspired young bombers". theguardian.com. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
- Jonathan Petre, Nick Britten and Paul Stokes (15 July 2005). "Bomb experts search youth centre where terrorists hatched their plot". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
- Jenkins, Russell (16 July 2005). "Killers may have been recruited at youth centre". London: The Times. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011.
- Armstrong, Jeremy (19 July 2005). "Propaganda shop -- funded by lottery cash". The Mirror. Archived from the original on 26 November 2005.