Television footage of radical Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed, in which he apparently predicts terrorists would strike on the British mainland, has been aired in England. The tape was shot several months before the July 7 bombings that targeted London's public transport system and killed 52 people. However Mr Bakri, who is the exiled former spiritual leader of Al-Muhajiroun, denies he knew the bombings were being planned.A Syrian Lebanese national, Mr Bakri lived in Britain from 1986 until he was stripped of his British residency in August as part of London's bid to remove radical Islamic leaders. The footage is reportedly circulated on the Internet, on a website of a group calling itself the 'Saved Sect'. In it, Mr Bakri warns his followers to "take precautions" for the possibility of terrorist attacks in Britain. "The mujahedin are everywhere. They are everywhere around, fighting," he said. "And don't worry, they are causing enough anarchy around the world to put everybody down on their knees. When it becomes anarchy, it becomes one... becomes 'nobody governs', becomes 'fight for your lives', and that is exactly what is going on around the world now. It's going to happen, but don't worry. You see, if it happens or don't happen, nothing can happen that deceives Allah. If Allah destines then it is going to happen. But take your precautions. Be aware."
But when interviewed Mr Bakri says he would have tried to stop the London bombings had he known of them. "I believe [the July 7 bombers] are terrorists, no doubt about it. Even [Osama] bin Laden is terrorist, I always believe so," he said. "I always said, if I knew about anybody planning any form of bombing in London, I will stop him and I will call on the Muslim community to stop him."