England: 3 Pakistani Muslims became the first people to be charged over the July 7, 2005 bombings in London

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Waheed Ali, 23, Sadeer Saleem, 26, and Mohammed Shakil, 30, are accused of conspiring with the four suicide bombers, who killed 52 innocent people.

They are charged with "conspiracy to cause explosions on the transport for London system and/or tourist attractions in the capital likely to endanger life".

Ali and Shakil were arrested at Manchester Airport last month, shortly before they were due to catch a flight to Pakistan, while Saleem was arrested at a house in Leeds.

The trio all believed to Britons of Pakistani origin who lived in Beeston, West Yorkshire - near Leeds, which was home to the four suicide bombers.

Ali, also known as Chipon Ullah, only recently moved to Tower Hamlets after living most of his life in Beeston.

The investigation into the bombings was designed to "uncover every possible piece of detail, every clue and lead however minute", Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke told reporters at New Scotland Yard.

"Our aim was quite simple, to find out not only who was responsible for setting off the bombs, but also who else was involved.

"As I said in July 2005 we needed to find out who else knew what was going to happen on July 7. Who encouraged the bombers? Who supported them? Who helped them?"

It was "impossible" to convey the scale of the operation, he added. Officers have taken more than 15,000 statements followed 19,000 leads. The search for "every tiny detail" had been "relentless".

The men were under surveillance for some time. DAC Clarke said the decision to arrest two of them was made when they tried to leave the country.

Three charged over 7/7 bombings