THE fingerprints of the mastermind behind the July 7 bombings have been stored on police files since 1986.

Mohammad Sidique Khan, who lived at Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury, was arrested aged just 11 for being involved in receiving stolen goods.

A second set of prints were taken by West Yorkshire Police in February 1993.

But it’s something which has only just come to light – details of the discovery emerged at a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London yesterday to decide what form the inquests should take.

Max Hill QC, counsel for the Metropolitan Police, stressed that this was not the first time Scotland Yard asked West Yorkshire Police for detailed information about Khan.

An investigation has now been launched by the force.

Khan, 30, killed himself and six innocent people when he set off a bomb on a Circle Line Tube train at Edgware Road on July 7 2005.

He lived with his wife and young child in Thornhill Lees.

Jermaine Lindsay, 19, a former Rawthorpe High School student, Shehzad Tanweer, 22 and Hasib Hussain, 18, both from Leeds, were all involved in the atrocity.

Under Khan’s command, they murdered another 46 travellers in separate attacks that day on two other London Underground trains and a bus.

Police have only just revealed that they held the fingerprints of the ringleader on file before the attacks.

West Yorkshire Police said it “recently” found two sets of Mohammad Sidique Khan’s prints in its archives.

West Yorkshire Police took Khan’s prints for the first time when he was arrested in April 1986, aged 11, for being involved in receiving stolen goods.

The second set of prints was taken by the force in February 1993 when Khan was arrested for assault.

The records came to light after Scotland Yard contacted West Yorkshire Police last month to check whether they had the July 7 bomber’s fingerprints on file.

West Yorkshire Police said in a statement: “In preparation for the inquests into the events of July 7 2005, West Yorkshire Police recently found two sets of fingerprints in its archives belonging to Mohammad Sidique Khan, of which it was previously unaware.

“The first set dates from when Mohammad Sidique Khan was only 11 years old, after he was involved in receiving stolen goods.

“The second set dates from 1993 and followed a caution for a case of assault.

“Having found this information, West Yorkshire Police considered it appropriate to disclose it to the coroner to the inquests.

“West Yorkshire Police are making inquiries into these records and continuing preparations for the forthcoming inquests.”