Posted on 07/21/2005 7:13:42 AM PDT by Srirangan
A number of Tube stations have been evacuated and lines closed after three blasts in what Met Police chief Sir Ian Blair says is a "serious incident".
Sir Ian appealed to Londoners to stay where they were and said the transport system was effectively being shut down.
The minor explosions used detonators only, a BBC reporter said.
In addition, a Number 26 bus in Hackney Road in Bethnal Green had its windows blown out by a blast. There were no injuries.
Large areas around Warren Street, Oval and the Shepherd's Bush Hammersmith and City line Tube stations have been cordoned off.
One person was injured at Warren Street. There were reports the injured person may have been holding a rucksack containing the detonator.
Lines suspended
Police said armed officers had been deployed to University College Hospital after an incident.
The whole of the Northern Line has been suspended, along with the Victoria Line and the Hammersmith and City line.
A number of other stations were closed including Westminster tube station, Waterloo tube station and King's Cross Thameslink. There were also reports that St Paul's tube and Oxford Circus tube station were closed.
Tony Blair cancelled events in the afternoon and will be attending a meeting of the Cobra committee along with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
The BBC's Andrew Winstanley said devices had been found but appeared to have been dummies, containing no explosives.
London Underground went to an amber alert with trains taken to the next station and evacuated.
An eyewitness at Oval station said there had been a small bang, and a man had then run off when the Tube reached the station.
A spokesman for Stagecoach said the driver of the number 26 bus travelling through Shoreditch had heard a bang on upper deck, gone upstairs and seen the windows were blown out.
The bus driver was very shaken but said to be fine.
At Shepherd's Bush Hammersmith and City line station, police told reporters that a man had threatened to blow himself up and then ran off.
Sosiane Mohellavi, 35, was travelling from Oxford Circus to Walthamstow when she was evacuated from a train at Warren Street.
"I was in the carriage and we smelt smoke - it was like something was burning.
"Everyone was panicked and people were screaming. We had to pull the alarm. I am still shaking."
The BBC's Rory Barnett said there had been no smoke on the platform at Warren St.
Liz Edwards, who works near Warren Street Underground station, said the area was full of activity.
"There are police, fire engines and ambulances all around there. A guy from our office had just come back from the station and said the police were aggressively keeping people away from the station and that you could not get anywhere near it."
He needs a good bitch-slapping.
Why would they do that?
So Police on America don't need to worry about suicide bombers as everyone is walking about with guns?
Didn't stop Oklahoma nor 9/11 did it? I don't think your political points are relevant nor appropriate.
Morning, all.
BBB here, absolute serenity here in the Garden Of England, can't help but think that we should be using those gunships, seem like the attacks are more like nuisance attacks, to cause chaos.
I take it that they thought he might have a bomb strapped on him. There is a rumour that there is some such character on the loose.
That's not what I said. Since the UK is disarmed, HOW would a citizen protect him/herself? You assume an awful lot. I think you're inappropriate and irrelevant.
Exactly. And look at the story - they sent "armed officers" to the hospital. Does that mean officers are usually unarmed ? It seems to me that if all the officer has is a billy club but the terrorist has a bomb, who will win ?
Sensitivity and gun control will get us all killed.
Lord, have mercy.
cweese,
Would you rather live in a society were there were less murders, or a society were there were guns available.
People in Britain choose less murders, you choose guns.
Just like America bans American citizens travelling to Cuba; I would find that an intolerable intrusion on my freedom, You don't, same type of thing.
I would rather live in a society that cuts the murder rate by protecting the right of law-abiding citizens to arm themselves in self-defense. Duh.
I would choose a society that had guns available. Period. If you think the criminal element in the UK is disarmed, I have a bridge to sell you. The black market doesn't care about bans on guns, drugs, or anything else. That's why it exists. Know what that is? What happened to the rates of home invasions and violent crimes after the UK banned guns? Do a little research before you ask dumb questions. An armed society is only dangerous to the criminals.
About 7 million muslims currently in the US, as far as can be estimated, about 2% of the current population as of the last census.
I believe the percentage of muslims in the British population is about 3%.
Now THAT'S a great idea!!!
Well thats fine. Many would rather live in a society (outside america so don't go all bananas on me) were less murders were committed. "You say Tomayto I'll say Tomaato..."
http://www.nrawinningteam.com/auresult.html
6 A-5 shotguns to start with.
You wanna part with any of those A-5's? Any Belgian made?
Yes but that 1% is critical! It means the UK is overrun with muslims and is almost a part of a muslim caliphate, while the US is nowhere near it.
How do you justify these attacks? Blame Tancredo? Blame the US?
How about recognizing the threat and the risks?
Muder and mayhem is part of their religion. You cannot tell which one will smile at you today and then blow you up tomorrow.
Go read your Bibles and see what God Almighty's command to Israel was for the infestation in the Promised Land.
Hint: it had to do with extermination.
They weren't supposed to coexist peacefully or try to understand their enemies' motivations.
Yet I'm sure there were those like you who thought that such commandments were only going to inflamme the Hitites, or be used as propogada by the Amalekites, etc.
bastages.
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