Post by ocelot on Jul 7, 2005 6:29:15 GMT -5
At least two killed as explosions rock London
CTV.ca News Staff
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said it was "reasonably clear" that a series of terrorist attacks had rocked London, leaving at least two dead and 90 wounded in six near-simultaneous explosions during Thursday's morning rush hour.
"It's reasonably clear there have been a series of terrorist attacks in London, there are obviously casualties, people that have died, and people seriously injured," British Prime Minister Tony Blair said from Gleneagles, Scotland, where he is hosting the G-8 summit.
He said the meeting would continue as he headed to London to meet with the city's officials.
"Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilized nations throughout the world,'' Blair said one day after London was awarded the 2012 Olympics.
The blasts prompted officials to shut down the entire bus and underground network.
Initial reports blamed a power surge, but it became increasingly clear as the day progressed that officials were not ruling out an intentional attack.
The National Grid, which supplies power to the city's subway network, said there had been no problems with the system which could have contributed to the incidents.
One senior Israeli official, on condition of anonymity, says Scotland Yard told the Israeli embassy in London minutes before explosions that it had received warnings of possible terror attacks, The Associated Press reported.
Arab sources said the blasts were likely the work of al Qaeda, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported.
While Scotland Yard said it was "too early to say" what caused them, when asked whether they may be terror-related, police said officials found indications of explosives at one of the sites.
Meanwhile, European Parliament President Josep Borrell blamed terrorism for what he called a series of "barbaric attacks" in London.
"In the last hour, reports have reached me of what now appears to be a co-ordinated series of attacks on London's transport system," Borrell told the parliament at midday.
Though the al Qaeda connection was not confirmed, security analysts said the blasts bore similarities to last year's Madrid bombings, when 10 bombs hidden in sports bags exploded on four packed commuter trains.
The explosions, at the height of the city's morning rush hour, killed 191 people.
"The first thing that's very obvious is the synchronized nature of the attacks, and that's pretty classic for al Qaeda or al Qaeda-related organizations," Budapest-based security analyst Sebestyen Gorka told Reuters.
"If we're talking about several attacks on one day, then there's a good likelihood we're talking about a known quantity here...The similarities to Madrid are clear."
Police urge calm
London's police chief Sir Ian Blair urged people to stay where they were and not to call emergency services unless it was a life-threatening situation.
While he confirmed there had been six blasts, he said the picture in London was still "very confused."
Police said incidents were reported at the Aldgate station near the Liverpool Street railway terminal, Edgware Road and the busy King's Cross in north London, Old Street in the financial district and Russell Square in central London, near the British Museum.
One caller to BBC Five said his friend had seen "the bus ripped open like a can of sardines and bodies everywhere."
Police confirmed an explosion destroyed a double-decker bus at Russell Square in central London.
One witness at that blast said the entire top deck of that bus was destroyed.
"I was on the bus in front and heard an incredible bang, I turned round and half the double decker bus was in the air," Belinda Seabrook told Press Association, the British news agency.
She said the bus was packed with people, and half the vehicle seemed to fly through the air after the explosion.
"What we really do need is calm," one metropolitan police spokesman said Thursday, cautioning against any speculation as the blasts threw the city into a panic.
There were reports that the cellular phone networks and telephone land lines were jammed as concerned residents tried to make calls.
Meanwhile in France, the government raised its terror alert level to the second-highest ranking on a four-notch scale, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said.
sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1120729188476_6?hub=topstories
CTV.ca News Staff
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said it was "reasonably clear" that a series of terrorist attacks had rocked London, leaving at least two dead and 90 wounded in six near-simultaneous explosions during Thursday's morning rush hour.
"It's reasonably clear there have been a series of terrorist attacks in London, there are obviously casualties, people that have died, and people seriously injured," British Prime Minister Tony Blair said from Gleneagles, Scotland, where he is hosting the G-8 summit.
He said the meeting would continue as he headed to London to meet with the city's officials.
"Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilized nations throughout the world,'' Blair said one day after London was awarded the 2012 Olympics.
The blasts prompted officials to shut down the entire bus and underground network.
Initial reports blamed a power surge, but it became increasingly clear as the day progressed that officials were not ruling out an intentional attack.
The National Grid, which supplies power to the city's subway network, said there had been no problems with the system which could have contributed to the incidents.
One senior Israeli official, on condition of anonymity, says Scotland Yard told the Israeli embassy in London minutes before explosions that it had received warnings of possible terror attacks, The Associated Press reported.
Arab sources said the blasts were likely the work of al Qaeda, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported.
While Scotland Yard said it was "too early to say" what caused them, when asked whether they may be terror-related, police said officials found indications of explosives at one of the sites.
Meanwhile, European Parliament President Josep Borrell blamed terrorism for what he called a series of "barbaric attacks" in London.
"In the last hour, reports have reached me of what now appears to be a co-ordinated series of attacks on London's transport system," Borrell told the parliament at midday.
Though the al Qaeda connection was not confirmed, security analysts said the blasts bore similarities to last year's Madrid bombings, when 10 bombs hidden in sports bags exploded on four packed commuter trains.
The explosions, at the height of the city's morning rush hour, killed 191 people.
"The first thing that's very obvious is the synchronized nature of the attacks, and that's pretty classic for al Qaeda or al Qaeda-related organizations," Budapest-based security analyst Sebestyen Gorka told Reuters.
"If we're talking about several attacks on one day, then there's a good likelihood we're talking about a known quantity here...The similarities to Madrid are clear."
Police urge calm
London's police chief Sir Ian Blair urged people to stay where they were and not to call emergency services unless it was a life-threatening situation.
While he confirmed there had been six blasts, he said the picture in London was still "very confused."
Police said incidents were reported at the Aldgate station near the Liverpool Street railway terminal, Edgware Road and the busy King's Cross in north London, Old Street in the financial district and Russell Square in central London, near the British Museum.
One caller to BBC Five said his friend had seen "the bus ripped open like a can of sardines and bodies everywhere."
Police confirmed an explosion destroyed a double-decker bus at Russell Square in central London.
One witness at that blast said the entire top deck of that bus was destroyed.
"I was on the bus in front and heard an incredible bang, I turned round and half the double decker bus was in the air," Belinda Seabrook told Press Association, the British news agency.
She said the bus was packed with people, and half the vehicle seemed to fly through the air after the explosion.
"What we really do need is calm," one metropolitan police spokesman said Thursday, cautioning against any speculation as the blasts threw the city into a panic.
There were reports that the cellular phone networks and telephone land lines were jammed as concerned residents tried to make calls.
Meanwhile in France, the government raised its terror alert level to the second-highest ranking on a four-notch scale, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said.
sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1120729188476_6?hub=topstories
