London Hit Again

[Annie]

So far, doesn't seem as serious.

 

[freeandfun1]

So far, doesn't seem as serious.

I just heard that since the explosion was relatively small, they are now concerned it was used to disperse some kind of biological agent. Not sure of this, just a rumor floating on the internet from Brits in London.

 

[Annie]

So far, doesn't seem as serious.

http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/n...ml&sSheet=/portal/2005/07/21/ixportaltop.html

Three Tube stations evacuated after 'incidents'
(Filed: 21/07/2005)

Three London Tube stations - Warren Street, Shepherd's Bush and Oval - have been evacuated while an incident happened on a bus in Hackney.

No casualties have been reported at this stage, sources said.
Map of incidents

The bus operator said the windows of the number 26 bus, at Hackney Road, junction near Colombia Road, east London, had been blown out, but there were no injuries.

Police said they are not treating the events as a major incident yet.

Police have cordoned off London's University College Hospital after police entered the building, witnesses said.

Four lines, the Hammersmith and City, Northern, Bakerloo and Victoria have been suspended.

It was reported that a shooting had taken place and a nail bomb had gone off at Warren Street, transport sources said.

The incidents come two weeks after four bombs blew up three Tube trains and a bus in the capital, killing 56 people.

Downing Street said that given the uncertainty, Tony Blair had cancelled a visit to a school in east London this afternoon, at which he, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell and Lord Coe had been due to publicise the second reading of the Olympics Bill.

The Prime Minister was also due to hold talks with security services and police in response to the July 7 bombings.

Passengers reported smoke coming from Oval station and Warren Street.

Services on the Victoria and Northern lines have been suspended

Sofiane Mohellavi, 35, from Walthamstow, was at Warren Street. He said he had smelt smoke in his carriage on the Victoria Line northbound train.

"I was sitting in the carriage reading a book and I smelt something burning, like wiring or tyres, and it just got more intense," he added.

"Suddenly people panicked and started screaming and were walking on each other's backs trying to get the hell out of there."

Another witness, Ivan McCracken, told Sky News that passengers had rushed into his carriage near Warren Street saying a bag had exploded.

The panic-stricken passengers had reported smoke. The train from Victoria was about 15 seconds from Warren Street station when the incident happened and passengers were led from the station.

More follows...

 

[Annie]

I just heard that since the explosion was relatively small, they are now concerned it was used to disperse some kind of biological agent. Not sure of this, just a rumor floating on the internet from Brits in London.

Fox was reporting that at the one train station, where a nail bomb exploded, there were people entering with Haz-mat suits.

 

[freeandfun1]

Fox was reporting that at the one train station, where a nail bomb exploded, there were people entering with Haz-mat suits.

Small explosions would be in keeping with the detonating of chemical or biological bombs... you don't want to destroy the agents with the heat generated from a large explosion.

Of course, this is just pure speculation at this point!

 

[Annie]

Small explosions would be in keeping with the detonating of chemical or biological bombs... you don't want to destroy the agents with the heat generated from a large explosion.

Of course, this is just pure speculation at this point!

They also were reporting that the police thought some of the 'bangs' which people thought were guns, may have been detonators. I will say the police milling around do not look overly concerned, then again, they may just be patrol people.

Here's another British report:

http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/men/news/s/166/166726_tube_stations_evacuated_in_major_alert.html

Thursday, 21st July 2005
Tube stations evacuated in major alert

EMERGENCY services personnel are attending three different tube stations in London following "incidents", police said today.

A British Transport Police spokeswoman said Warren Street, Shepherds Bush and Oval stations had all been evacuated.

She said the incidents were "ongoing" ut at this stage there are no reports of any injuries.

Reuters News Agency reported that a nail bomb had exploded at Warren Street. Threre were also reports of gunshots being fired, but this has not been confirmed.

Passengers at Warren Street reported seeing smoke. Services on the Victoria and Northern lines were suspended following reports of a number of incidents.

London fire brigade said there were reports of smoke coming from Oval station, which crews were investigating.

There were unconfirmed reports of some kind of explosion at Warren Street station.

Witnesses

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "Emergency services personnel are responding to reports of incidents at three locations on the Underground - the Oval, Warren Street and Shepherd's Bush."

Police were also among those attending the three stations, she said.

She could not confirm reports that witnesses at Warren Street had seen smoke.

It is two weeks to the day since the London bombings, when three suicide bombers detonated bombs on Tube trains in the capital and a fourth blew himself up on a bus.

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.

"We pulled into Warren Street and were evacuated. It was horrible," she said.

 

[dilloduck]

Fox was reporting that at the one train station, where a nail bomb exploded, there were people entering with Haz-mat suits.

Haz-mat suits are SOP in situations such as this.

 

[freeandfun1]

Reports are saying that the areas have tested NEGATIVE for chemical or biological agents! That's great!

More likely the bombs were so poorly constructed they didn't detonate properly (thank God!).

 

[GotZoom]

So far, doesn't seem as serious.

We posted at the same time.

You know what they say about great minds!

Merge these two por favore.

http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23234

 

[KarlMarx]

Here's a fact, folks

London has a large Muslim population.

Now, watch what happens, the Brits will be deporting a lot of them back to wherever they came from. Incarcerating a lot more and if they haven't already, pass a Patriot Act of their own....

Don't be surprised if they start setting up camps to "detain" Muslims just like we did with Japanese Americans during World War II.

 

[manu1959]

Here's a fact, folks

London has a large Muslim population.

Now, watch what happens, the Brits will be deporting a lot of them back to wherever they came from. Incarcerating a lot more and if they haven't already, pass a Patriot Act of their own....

Don't be surprised if they start setting up camps to "detain" Muslims just like we did with Japanese Americans during World War II.

fine by me....we are at war...it should be treated as such

 

[-Cp]

Foxnews:

Two weeks to the day when terrorist attacks in London killed a total of 56 people, explosions struck three Underground stations and a bus Thursday afternoon.

The London police commissioner confirmed that four explosions occurred in the subway and on a bus in the Hackney neighborhood of East London. None of the explosions appear to have detonated properly. Officials are hoping that the left-over explosives will provide a wealth of forensic evidence to help investigators hunt down the bombers.

For more, go to these FOX News partners: Sky News | The Times of London | The Sun

Police said there was one report of an injury.

One Sky News reporter on the ground said officials said the explosive device on the bus appears to be the same type used in the July 7 bombings in London. The material is highly explosive, which is why such a large area around the bus has been cordoned off.

Police also said an armed police unit had entered University College hospital. Press Association, the British news agency, said they arrived shortly after an injured person was carried in.

Sky News TV reported that police were searching for a man with a blue shirt with wires protruding. Officers asked employees to look for a black or Asian male, 6 feet 2 inches tall, wearing a blue top with a hole in the back and wires protruding.

Scotland Yard said there have been two arrests, one at Downing Street and one at greater Scotland Yard, but officials are stressing the arrests may not be related. There will be a police briefing at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday that officials hoped that London would return to normal "as soon as possible."

"We can't minimize incidents such as this," Blair said during a news conference with visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard, adding that such attacks are attempted "to make people worried and frightened and taking responsibility off the shoulders of people who engage in these acts."

Blair said the police and security services were "fairly clear" on what happened and what the next steps were, and it was "important to respond by keeping to our normal lives."

"People have seen our country react to terrorist attacks that are meant to make people worried and scared and react, and people have reacted with great dignity ... it's not going to change us … our reaction's got to be the same" as it was after the July 7 attacks, Blair added.

He said it was too early to speculate on who might be responsible for the attacks.

Howard told Blair that Australia would remain a "steadfast partner" with Britain in the fight against terrorism.

"Terrorism is an enemy to all free people," Howard said. "Terrorism is not just about individual circumstances and individual events."

One injury was reported in the Thursday attacks.

Blair said the police and security services were "fairly clear" on what happened and what the next steps were, and it was "important to respond by keeping to our normal lives."

He said it was too early to speculate on who might be responsible for the attacks.

Howard told Blair that Australia would remain a "steadfast partner" with Britain in the fight against terrorism.

"Terrorism is an enemy to all free people," Howard said. "Terrorism is not just about individual circumstances and individual events."

'People Were Panicking'

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair described the incidents as "serious."

"We've had four explosions — four attempts at explosions," Blair said outside police headquarters at Scotland Yard. "At the moment the casualty numbers appear to be very low ... the bombs appear to be smaller" than those detonated July 7.

The Warren Street, Shepherd's Bush and Oval stations were evacuated. Emergency services personnel were called to the stations, police said. There were reports of a nail bomb that exploded and/or a backpack that exploded at Warren Street but those reports have not yet been confirmed.

Police in chemical protection suits were seen preparing to enter the Warren Street station but no chemical agents were involved in the explosions.

There was also an incident at 10 Downing Street, where the British prime minister's offices are located. Two police officers trained their guns on a man before leading him off the premises; his shirt was unbuttoned in the front.

The head of Scotland Yard said in a brief press conference Thursday that commuters and other Londoners should stay exactly where they are; he said it's possible more portions of the transit system will be shut down.

Some witnesses said they heard gunshots at the Warren Street stop but according to Sky News, police believe those noises were actually detonators going off for bombs that didn't explode.

"People were panicking. But very fortunately the train was only 15 seconds from the station," witness Ivan McCracken told Sky News.

McCracken said he smelled smoke, and people were panicking and coming into his carriage. He said he spoke to an Italian man who was comforting a woman after the evacuation.

"He said that a man was carrying a rucksack and the rucksack suddenly exploded. It was a minor explosion but enough to blow open the rucksack," McCracken said. "The man then made an exclamation as if something had gone wrong. At that point everyone rushed from the carriage."

Services on the Victoria, Hammersmith and Northern lines were suspended, the London Underground said.

"I was in the carriage and we smelled smoke — it was like something was burning," said Losiane Mohellavi, 35, who was evacuated at Warren Street. "Everyone was panicked and people were screaming. We had to pull the alarm. I am still shaking."

Stagecoach, the company which operates the stricken No. 26 bus, said the driver heard a bang and went upstairs, where he found the windows blown out. The company said the bus was structurally intact and there were no reports of injuries.

Closed-circuit TV cameras on Hackney Road showed the No. 26 bus immobilized at a stop with its indicator lights flashing. The area around the bus had been cordoned off.

Keith Roberts, a shopkeeper near where the bus was sitting empty, said the bus driver was speaking to police and not only the bus but nearby houses were also evacuated. Roberts and another witness from the Shepherd's Bush station who called in to Sky News said they were told by police to get off their cell phones.

The concern is that authorities believe that at least two bombs have not gone off, one of which could be on the bus. Cell phones work on radio frequencies, which could set off the potential bombs.

The reports came exactly two weeks to the day that four homicide bombers attacked three subway stations and a double-decker bus in London, killing 52 others.

Although not as serious, Thursday's incidents were hauntingly similar to the blasts two weeks ago, which involved explosions at three Underground stations simultaneously — quickly followed by a blast on a bus. Those bombings, during the morning rush hour, also occurred in the center of London, hitting the Underground railway from various directions.

Thursday's incidents, however, were more geographically spread out.

London Ambulance said it was called to the Oval station at 12:38 p.m. and Warren Street at 12:45 p.m. The July 7 attacks began at 8:51 a.m.

Prime Minister Blair was scheduled to meet with various British intelligence agencies Thursday. He canceled a visit to a school in East London, which was in the same general area as the potential bus bomb.

President Bush was briefed on the London incidents, according to White House spokesman Scott McClellan, who said U.S. officials are "monitoring the situation closely.'"

Washington, D.C., Metro officials said the city's subways, which have been on a higher alert since the July 7 London bombings, will see an increase in security and bomb-sniffing dogs.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has also been advised and is monitoring the situation. There is no plan to change the terror threat level at this time; the Department of Homeland Security is still gathering information.

The concern among U.S. officials in these situations is whether there would be legitimate follow-up attacks by the same group responsible for the July 7 bombings, or "copy cat" incidents, of lesser severity and effectiveness.

The explosions came as Pakistani intelligence officials said authorities are seeking the former aide of a radical cleric in Britain in connection with the July 7 bombings.

The officials said British investigators asked Pakistani authorities to search for Haroon Rashid Aswat (search), who reportedly had been in close contact with the suicide bombers just before the July 7 attacks. Aswat, 31, was of Indian origin and may not be in Pakistan, according to two intelligence officials in Islamabad and one in Lahore.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,163186,00.html

 

[Gabriella84]

I will believe the Muslim News Agency before I believe the Fox Network.

Early reports in the British media suspect that these are "copycat attacks." The explosive devices used were smaller and far from professional.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

I will believe the Muslim News Agency before I believe the Fox Network.

Early reports in the British media suspect that these are "copycat attacks." The explosive devices used were smaller and far from professional.

You let us know when Fox Network starts broadcasting lies, missy. :fu2:

I suppose the Brits will rest at ease because these are just "copycat attacks".
Going into the subways should be no problem now - because they are just "copycat attacks". :duh3:

It WILL be interesting to see what the Brits do after additional "attempted" attacks as it could have an effect on America's security. If they become more agressive toward the Muslim population in terms of prevention, then the liberal "copycats" here in America are more likely to follow suit. :happy2:

 

[freeandfun1]

I will believe the Muslim News Agency before I believe the Fox Network.

Early reports in the British media suspect that these are "copycat attacks." The explosive devices used were smaller and far from professional.

lmfao! what news service are you watching? the explosives are of the same kind used in the last explosions. A matter-of-fact, that is likely why they didn't work. The mixture had weakened over the past couple of weeks.

Dream on.

 

[8236]

Now, watch what happens, the Brits will be deporting a lot of them back to wherever they came from. Incarcerating a lot more and if they haven't already, pass a Patriot Act of their own....

Don't be surprised if they start setting up camps to "detain" Muslims just like we did with Japanese Americans during World War II.

Mark my words as a Brit: No we won't. We are slightly more realistic. Slightly less idealistic. We've been through it all before.

 

[freeandfun1]

Mark my words as a Brit: No we won't. We are slightly more realistic. Slightly less idealistic. We've been through it all before.

You have? Oh, I guess you will try to equate the IRA bombings to the AQ bombings...

 

[8236]

Early reports in the British media suspect that these are "copycat attacks." The explosive devices used were smaller and far from professional.

Could be, but bearing in mind suspects seen running from scene, they are probably of same group as previous as bombs failed to detonate properly. Homemade explosives from previous batch which had deteriorated: small detonation due to primer or mixed in military explosives.

 

[8236]

You have? Oh, I guess you will try to equate the IRA bombings to the AQ bombings...

AQ?

 

[no1tovote4]

Holy Crap! It's 8236! I haven't seen you in some time.