'We were not tipped off about Reid'

Scotland Yard was not tipped off about the possible security risk surrounding "shoe bomber" Richard Reid, the Met's Commissioner Sir John Stevens said today.

Detectives in London are working with the FBI to track Reid's movements since 1998 when he is believed to have left Britain, said Sir John.

His comments followed claims that the Yard ignored warnings about Islamic extremists recruiting at London mosques for years prior to the terrorist atrocities in the US.

Sir John called for better relationships between law enforcement agencies around the world to improve the fight against international terrorism.

He admitted on Radio Four's Today programme: "We know we've got a problem with worldwide terrorism and we've got to act on it."

He said the events of 11 September had caused a rethink of police policy and the force had since gathered much more intelligence on possible Islamic terrorist suspects living in Britain. Abdul Haqq Baker, the cleric who runs the Brixton mosque Reid first attended after converting to Islam, has said that police ignored his warnings about recruiting agents preying on vulnerable individuals there.

Police sources say that while Special Branch regularly followed up information from Muslim leaders and other groups, Reid's name had not been mentioned.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on the same programme that he doubted more could have been done to anticipate Reid's actions. "There is extremely good co-operation between all the law enforcement agencies in the UK," he said.

"Once the case is over there will have to be a full review on both sides of the Atlantic to learn the lessons of this case, as there always has to be."