Two London bombing suspects came from Somalia, Eritrea

The man suspected to trying to bomb a London bus last week is an Eritrean-born British citizen. Another suspect is an immigrant from Somalia, the British authorities said today.

Muktar Said Ibrahim, 27, who is suspected of trying to bomb a bus last Thursday, is a naturalized British citizen from Eritrea, the Home Office said.

It was not immediately clear exactly when Said, also known as Muktar Mohammed Said, emigrated to Britain but he was granted residency in 1992 when he was 14, a spokeswoman said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity. He applied for citizenship in November 2003 and was issued a British passport in September 2004, she said.

It was not known whether he retained his Eritrean citizenship as well, she said.

Yasin Hassan Omar, 24, arrived in Britain from Somalia in 1992 at age 11, the Home Office said. Omar, a legal British resident for more than a decade, is suspected of attempting to blow up a subway train near Warren Street station last Thursday.

Both men came to Britain as the dependents of refugees, the AP reports.