Posted on 07/21/2005 7:34:36 AM PDT by Happy2BMe
LONDON (Reuters) - Four small bombs hit London's bus and underground train network on Thursday, without causing major casualties, exactly two weeks after bombers killed more than 50 people in the capital.
A large part of the capital's underground train network was suspended, but police reassured the public that the emergency was not as serious as two weeks ago.
London's police chief Ian Blair told reporters there had been four explosions or attempted explosions but the bombs were small and casualties appeared to be light.
The emergency coincided with a service to commemorate those killed by bombs detonated by four young British Muslims in three underground trains and a bus at morning rush hour, killing more than 50 people and shocking a capital that had hitherto been spared al Qaeda-style attacks on civilians. That attack confronted Britain's people and politicians with the prospect the country could be nurturing its own generation of the type of Islamist militants loyal to Osama bin Laden who had already inflicted carnage in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, in Bali and on Madrid's suburban trains last year.
All four bombers died in the July 7 attacks, leading most people to assume they had been suicide bombers.
Britain's leading shares fell sharply on news of the latest incidents, but recovered once it appeared that the effect of the latest attacks would not be on the same scale as two weeks ago.
NATURE OF ATTACKS UNCLEAR
In the immediate confusion the nature of the attacks was unclear.
"The worst-case scenario with the non-explosions or minor explosions would be that these are devices that haven't triggered properly. Beyond that, it looks like it may be people messing around, copycat-type stuff," said analyst Shane Brighton of the Royal United Services Institute, a London think-tank.
The July 7 bombs -- which were claimed on the Internet by a little-known Islamic militant group -- had been timed to coincide with a summit of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations in Scotland.
The leaders promptly appeared shoulder to shoulder with British Prime Minister Tony Blair to express not only solidarity but also a shared determination not to give in to terrorism, and proceeded with the summit after a brief delay.
Although markets rebounded from the latest shock, nervousness was growing about the prospect of more attacks.
"It is a massive worry," said Jeremy Hodges, head of foreign exchange sales at Lloyds TSB bank.
"It is obviously going to cause big issues in this country now. The security issues have just got about 500 percent greater. It will reflect badly on the economy, badly on tourism and you have got to suggest that we are going to cut (interest) rates."
Around an hour after the first news of Thursday's incidents emerged at around 1200 GMT, there was still no comment from the British government but officials said the prime minister would speak to reporters within hours.
In Washington, the White House was monitoring the situation and President Bush was briefed, his spokesman said.
Emergency services rushed to three underground stations in or near central London and to the site of a blast on a bus in the east of the city.
NO INJURIES REPORTED
Transport authorities said no injuries had been reported. Armed police rushed to one central London hospital and cordoned it off.
Sky News TV, quoting a police source, said the explosions were detonators rather than actual bombs.
A television reporter at Oval underground station in south London said police had cordoned off the area and brought in sniffer dogs.
One witness who was on a train traveling through that station told BBC television passengers had seen what could have been a would-be bomber running away after dropping a rucksack on the train.
"It sounded like a balloon had popped but a lot louder and then we all moved to one end of the carriage. There was something on the floor and you could see something had exploded.
Do these poeple not realize this will cause a world-wide hatred and intolerance of Islam?
"Bombers," huh? The media is in bed with the enemy.
Another Religion of Peace call to prayer?
Doesn't sound like the terrorist MO.
If it hasn't happened yet, what makes you think things will suddenly change?
Agree. I lean towards copycat or other loony.
These people need to be exterminated! Man do I wish for the days of Reagan and Thatcher. The only country that should exist in the Middle East is Israel and maybe Jordan.
Yeah... so?!
I am travelling in the UK now.
Watching this on the TV news.
They announced one of the suspects was a "black asian", which is apparently a new PC phrase. They showed a picture of him. He appears to be muslim.
Agreed. Four bombs and no deaths?
Sounds more like a warning than an actual attack.
A permanent attitude change doesn't happen quickly. It will take a while but once it happens, it will be the end of Islam as a major world religion, being isolated to the countries that it is a majority.
Plus, this kind of action will cause people to disregard Islam even though their family is Muslim.
But it sounded like they terrorized... SO.... they are.
I think you're too optimistic, but I do hope you prove to be correct.
Time to bring the Jihad back to the jihadists. Let's make Is-lame history.
Amazing, Blair calling for calm, Police saying little event.
How many more have to die before We the People open a can of whup-ass?
Or a biological dispersal...
And nothing on this Earth - not even nuking Mecca! - is going to stop evil.
The Canadian Broadcasting Company WON'T call these assholes "terrorists." As one woman on O'Reilly said last night, "I would report that four young men bombed the trains and 700 people were injured. I will leave it up to the reader to judge them."
WHAT a load. She and others like her ARE part of the problem.
These terrorists know that the media are behind thme 100%. The media's virulent, deep-core, maniac HATRED of the U.S. keeps the terrorist knowing that their side will always be vindicated and supported.
This is true of all the media in the world...not just Europe, Canada and here. Asia, Africa and the Americas media are all the same.
The PEOPLE of those places, like here, DON'T get their voices heard, so that there is the STUPID assumption by BOTH sides that the media automatically "speak" for and represent the people.
It's simply not true. The mainstream media of the world are left-wing, commie, secular, godless, arrogant, Christian-hating, totally anti-U.S.
That's a fac, Jack.
Iam guessing that it will slow it down.
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