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2 Car bombs found in central London
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by Radical_Images | June 29, 2007 at 03:17 am
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A car bomb planted in central London would have caused "carnage" if it had exploded, police sources have said.
Officers carried out a controlled explosion on the device left in the busy Haymarket area of the capital.
"International elements" are believed to be involved, Whitehall sources told the BBC.
The silver Mercedes had been loaded with gas cylinders and has now been removed from the scene, close to Piccadilly Circus.
Officers carried out a controlled explosion after reports of a suspicious vehicle parked in Haymarket shortly before 0200 BST (0100 GMT).
The area was cordoned off while police examined what they described as a "potentially viable explosive device".
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Britain faces "a serious and continuous threat".
He added the public "need to be alert" at all times.
The prime minister's comments were echoed by the new Home Secretary Jacqui Smith who has chaired a meeting of the government's emergency unit Cobra.
The BBC's Andy Tighe said the timing was significant coming a day after Gordon Brown became prime minister, and with the second anniversary of the 7 July bombings approaching.
A witness reported seeing gas canisters being removed from the car, a silver Mercedes, at around 0400 BST (0300 GMT).
Bouncers from a nearby nightclub said they saw the car being driven erratically before it crashed into a bin. They said the driver then got out and ran off.
Police sources have confirmed that gas canisters were involved in the incident, close to Piccadilly Circus.
But Scotland Yard has refused to comment on reports that a large number of nails were found in the car.
One police source said the bomb was a "big device" and posed a real and substantial threat to the area around Haymarket, which is in London's theatreland.
Dozens of forensic officers examined the scene and the car was removed for further examination.
Scotland Yard said detectives from Counter Terrorism Command were investigating the potential bomb plot and will be checking the CCTV in the area.
Police are believed to have also carried out a search of other key areas in the capital shortly after the discovery of the car.
A spokesman said: "Police were called to reports of a suspicious vehicle parked in Haymarket, shortly before 2am this morning.
"As a precautionary measure the immediate area was cordoned off while the vehicle was examined by explosives officers.
"They discovered what appeared to be a potentially viable explosive device. This was made safe."
A car bomb planted in central London would have caused "carnage" if it had exploded, police sources have said.
Officers carried out a controlled explosion on the device left in the busy Haymarket area of the capital.
"International elements" are believed to be involved, Whitehall sources told the BBC.
The silver Mercedes had been loaded with gas cylinders and has now been removed from the scene, close to Piccadilly Circus.
Officers carried out a controlled explosion after reports of a suspicious vehicle parked in Haymarket shortly before 0200 BST (0100 GMT).
The area was cordoned off while police examined what they described as a "potentially viable explosive device".
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Britain faces "a serious and continuous threat".
He added the public "need to be alert" at all times.
The prime minister's comments were echoed by the new Home Secretary Jacqui Smith who has chaired a meeting of the government's emergency unit Cobra.
The BBC's Andy Tighe said the timing was significant coming a day after Gordon Brown became prime minister, and with the second anniversary of the 7 July bombings approaching.
A witness reported seeing gas canisters being removed from the car, a silver Mercedes, at around 0400 BST (0300 GMT).
Bouncers from a nearby nightclub said they saw the car being driven erratically before it crashed into a bin. They said the driver then got out and ran off.
Police sources have confirmed that gas canisters were involved in the incident, close to Piccadilly Circus.
But Scotland Yard has refused to comment on reports that a large number of nails were found in the car.
One police source said the bomb was a "big device" and posed a real and substantial threat to the area around Haymarket, which is in London's theatreland.
Dozens of forensic officers examined the scene and the car was removed for further examination.
Scotland Yard said detectives from Counter Terrorism Command were investigating the potential bomb plot and will be checking the CCTV in the area.
Police are believed to have also carried out a search of other key areas in the capital shortly after the discovery of the car.
A spokesman said: "Police were called to reports of a suspicious vehicle parked in Haymarket, shortly before 2am this morning.
"As a precautionary measure the immediate area was cordoned off while the vehicle was examined by explosives officers.
"They discovered what appeared to be a potentially viable explosive device. This was made safe."
Police say Haymarket is likely to remain closed for some time and severe travel disruption is predicted.
Update:
Police say two separate explosive devices have been found in cars parked in London's West End.
The first bomb, made of 60 litres of petrol, gas
cylinders and nails, was found in a Mercedes outside a night club in
Haymarket at 0130BST (0030GMT).
Police say a second device was found in a Mercedes in a
car park in Park Lane after it was towed away from Cockspur Street,
close to Trafalgar Square.
Both devices were "viable" and "clearly linked", police said.
Read more: BBC
How to Counter Terrorism
These two car bombs that
have been confirmed by police were only detected by keen eyed members
of the public noticing something suspiciouse, so what can you do to
stop an attack?
Derbyshire police recently launched some posters on 20th June 2007 for the general public on what to look for and you can download the pdf posters at the bottom of the page
Update: Meeting of Government emergency responses committee to be held on Saturday source BBC
What is NowPublic?
NowPublic lets people work together to cover news events around the world.
Crowd Power
Mark McLaughlin
Onslow Village, SRY,
ryan
Vancouver, Canadasnapperjack1111
United Kingdom
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (11)
at 03:42 on June 29th, 2007
Radical-Images, thanks for getting this story out so quickly. It will now show up on the home page for four hours. If new developments justify it, I'll renew this flag for another cycle.
at 04:07 on June 29th, 2007
It is a great pity that this sort of thing continues to happen in London - Good stuff
at 06:22 on June 29th, 2007
Radical-Images, thanks for posting this so quickly. This reminds me of the nail bombings in 1999.
at 07:10 on June 29th, 2007
Radical-Images, these photos are great! Keep 'em coming and let us know if you witness anything else. Thanks...
at 10:09 on June 29th, 2007
Radical-Images, thanks for getting this story out so quickly. It will now show up on the home page for four hours. If new developments justify it, I'll renew this flag for another cycle.
at 12:39 on June 29th, 2007
Dispatches from the blogosphere:
Craig Murray (former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan) says, "Peter Clarke, the Met's anti-terrorism point man, gave a press conference claiming he was not going to speculate, but then doing everything he could to indicate it was an Islamic plot. He referred to other recent cases, including the Barot case, in which night clubs were mentioned as targets, and the use of gas canisters in cars discussed. The one bit of modus operandi pointing another way - the fact it wasn't a suicide bomber - he was at pains to explain away by speculating that the driver had lost his nerve.
Of course the last time a nail bomb was actually exploded among clubbers in Central London, it was by a homophobic fascist. So it is right to keep an open mind. But whoever did this, the only people who can possibly benefit are the vast and ever-burgeoning security industry of all kinds, and those who want discord between the Islamic World and the West. Unfortunately, the extremists on all sides are strengthened by this incident.
Brown had already made plain he supports further anti-civil liberties legislation. This produces just the kind of febrile atmosphere in which that can be done. The television news is already pushing 90 day detention without charge again."
Chetwick
says, "So the police have no suspects, yet the Home Secretary says that
the attack was international terrorism. Maybe the local officials are
being kept out of the loop?"
Brandy
found herself in the midst of the mayhem just as she arrived in the UK:
"So we get here, get through customs and find out almost all of central
London is blocked off b/c of a car bomb. So we get in the taxi, and
they say they can take us close and we'll need to take the tube on in,
if they'll let us!"
at 12:44 on June 29th, 2007
BBC has confirmed that the second suspicious car was in fact a bomb. It is similar to the first in its design. Radical Images, if you can please update the body of your story with this new information.
at 13:26 on June 29th, 2007
The Register pours some cold water on the incident.
at 13:37 on June 29th, 2007
Hi Jordan,
Did you read the comments? how srange, but some of the readers have said we have had worse during the IRA attacks, with technology providing the timers from video recorders (wow do you remember them?) I do believe the media are over emphasising things a little.
at 01:23 on June 30th, 2007
The difference is that during the IRA days there was no Sky News to hype up the story, of course we are contributing to the hype. There is also a major difference in that the IRA had clear and easy to understand goals so a solution was always possible. You need to know what the problem is before you can develop a solution.
The current situation causes more confusion and fear because there is no clear goal so there is no real solution.
I agree that the car bombs are very much "Beavis And Butthead" but then why waste proper munitions when you can achieve so much chaos by sending Beavis and his partner do do the job.
This type of thing encourages governments to become more and more repressive in an incrementa manner. Unfortunately ordinary people are the only ones who suffer.
at 13:27 on June 29th, 2007
Radical-Images, thanks for the update. This is good stuff. Stay safe.