Zambian President Levy Mwana-wasa announced Wednes-day that Zambia had agreed to deport Haroon Aswat to his home country.

Haroon Aswat, 31, has been named in US and British media reports as the alleged mastermind behind the July 7 blasts that killed 56 people including four suicide bombers, but Scotland Yard has not confirmed that he is wanted in connection with the attacks.

Ministers in London have said they are also trying to get Hamdi Issac, also known as Osman Hussain, extradited as fast as possible from Italy so British police can quiz him along with the three other primary suspects in the case.

The four men, three of whom were held in Britain last week, are suspected of having carried out botched attempted suicide bombings on subway trains and a bus on July 21, in which no one was hurt after the explosives failed to fully detonate.

The four dead bombers were all British Muslims, three of Pakistani origin and one Jamaican born.

Since July 7, London's Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday evening, crimes motivated by religious hatred have soared by almost 600 percent in the British capital.

Police figures showed that there were 269 such incidents reported since the first blasts, compared to 40 over the same three-and-a-half week period in 2004.

"There is no doubt that incidents impacting on the Muslim community have increased," said Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Tarique Ghaffur.

The majority of incidents were minor assaults or low-level abuse but they had a great "emotional impact" on communities, he said.

"It can lead to these communities completely retreating and not engaging at a time when we want their engagement and support."