Explosions in London- Terrorism suspected - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

OzMavs · 07-07-2005, 05:40 AM

Damn, has anyone seen anything on this? I can't get onto any news sites and it is all over evening television here. I just hope and pray it is not as sinister as what it appears.
Some fatalities as blasts hits London
London
July 7, 2005 - 8:09PM
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A number of people were killed in a series of explosions on London's transport system at rush hour on Thursday morning, causing chaos in the British capital, police and transport officials said.

Several blasts hit the underground network and police said there had been at least three explosions on buses in the city.

A source at the Metronet consortium that runs part of the capital's underground network said "there were three explosions and there have been some fatalities".

Home Secretary Charles Clarke said the blasts had caused "terrible injuries".

The causes of the incidents, a day after London was awarded the 2012 Olympics and as leaders of the Group of Eight rich nations met in Scotland, were unknown but police said many of the city's underground stations were affected.

"It is too too early to state what has happened," a London police spokesman said. "I cannot comment on reports of bombs, but we have had multi-reports of explosions around London."
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People were seen streaming out of one underground station covered in blood and soot. Passengers were evacuated from stations across the capital, many in shock and with their clothes ripped to shreds, witnesses said.

The entire system was shut down and major thoroughfares were blocked off by police and ambulance services.

One bus was blown up in Tavistock Square in central London, a policeman told Reuters.

"There have been some casualties and this has been declared as a major incident," said a spokeswoman for London's Metropolitan Police.

Emergency services rushed to the Aldgate East underground station where police reported the first incident at 8:59 a.m. local time (07:59 GMT).
"There were people streaming out of Algate station covered in blood,'' said Kate Heywood, 27, on her way to work.

"There are shards of glass there, it is chaos," she added.
A Reuters corresondent at Oxford Circus station, at the heart of the underground system, heard an announcement over the public-address system saying: "A power outage has occurred London-wide. All train services are suspended."

A station official said: "All the power has gone down. I don't know when it'll come back."

Police sealed off large areas around other underground and mainline rail stations. Firemen donned chemical protection suits before rushing into stations.

Half a dozen people dishevelled and with soot-blackened faces sat on the floor at Russell Square underground station or stood in shock as police cordoned off the area and ambulances crews raced in, one witness said.

The Great Eastern Hotel, which was hosting a conference on the Israeli economy, was evacuated. Israeli Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to attend the conference but had not arrived.

Stocks dived and demand for government bonds and safe-haven currencies soared on Thursday after the reports of the incidents.
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u2sarajevo · 07-07-2005, 06:45 AM

6 Blasts Rock London, Killing at Least Two

By Jane Wardell
The Associated Press
Thursday, July 7, 2005; 7:20 AM

LONDON -- Half a dozen explosions rocked the London subway and tore open a packed double-decker bus during the morning rush hour Thursday. The blasts killed at least two people and injured scores in what a shaken Prime Minister Tony Blair said was a series of "barbaric" terrorist attacks. Blair said it was clear the attacks were designed to coincide with the opening of the G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. The prime minister said the meeting of world leaders would continue but that he would return to London. "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 a day after London was awarded the 2012 Olympics. Bloodied and bandaged witnesses reported panicked crowds fleeing the blast sites. A witness at the bus explosion said the entire top deck of the bus was destroyed. Sir Ian Blair, London's police chief, said he was concerned the explosions were a coordinated attack but said he wouldn't speculate on who was responsible. He said officials had found indications of explosives at one of the sites. A senior Israeli official said Scotland Yard told Israel minutes before the explosions that it had received warnings of possible terror attacks.

One witness, Darren Hall, said some passengers emerging from an evacuated subway station had soot and blood on their faces. He told BBC TV that he was evacuated along with others near the major King's Cross station and only afterward heard a blast. Police confirmed an explosion destroyed a double-decker bus at Russell Square in central London. Dow Jones Newswires reported that police said there were explosions on two other buses. "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. "It was a massive explosion and there were papers and half a bus flying through the air," she said. Police said incidents were reported at the Aldgate station near the Liverpool Street railway terminal, Edgware Road and King's Cross in north London, Old Street in the financial district and Russell Square in central London, near the British Museum.

Bradley Anderson, a subway passenger, told Sky News that "there was some kind of explosion or something" as his train reached the Edgware Road station in northeast London. "Everything went black and we collided into some kind of oncoming train," Anderson said.

Simon Corvett, 26, who was on an eastbound train from Edgware Road station, said: "All of sudden there was this massive huge bang. It was absolutely deafening and all the windows shattered," he said. "There were just loads of people screaming and the carriages filled with smoke. You could see the carriage opposite was completely gutted," he said. "There were some people in real trouble." London's cell phone network was working after the explosions but was overloaded and spotty, limiting communication. The explosions sent stocks plummeting in Europe, with several of the major indexes down 3 percent.

MavKikiNYC · 07-07-2005, 07:50 AM

Well, now, I sure hope that in the investigation they respect the rights of those terrorists to do this kind of thing.

Evilmav2 · 07-07-2005, 07:54 AM

This is alarming stuff particularly for me, because one of my younger sisters has been attending school in London for the last year, and she lives right in the middle of the inner London area that was affected by the blasts. She's unfortunately not answering her cell-phone, but I'm hopeful that the relatively low casualty figures thus far reported by London authorities make it very probable that she's OK...

aexchange · 07-07-2005, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Evilmav2
This is alarming stuff particularly for me, because one of my younger sisters has been attending school in London for the last year, and she lives right in the middle of the inner London area that was affected by the blasts. She's unfortunately not answering her cell-phone, but I'm hopeful that the relatively low casualty figures thus far reported by London authorities make it very probable that she's OK...

My prayers go out to you and your family. Keep us posted.

Evilmav2 · 07-07-2005, 08:42 AM

Thanks Aexchange. I was reassured to hear on the news that many cell-phones in the downtown London area aren't working because of the traffic overload in the aftermath of the blasts, so I'm hoping thats the only reason she can't be reached...

ZueriMav · 07-07-2005, 08:46 AM

Evil,

I had the same problem with a friend of mine who works in London. Just try to send an SMS. The network is overloaded.

Evilmav2 · 07-07-2005, 08:58 AM

That's a very good idea, ZueriMav, but thankfully I was just able to finally get through to her. She's fine, but she takes a train through one of the bombed lines every day, and she did so this morning (through King's Cross station). I'm just praying that the death count doesn't rise any higher, and that more families aren't exposed to the senseless pain of having loved ones taken away from them by these damned Mohammaden murderers.

Also, if you haven't gotten in touch with your friend yet ZM, I really hope and pray he wasn't anywhere near the sites of these despicable attacks...

Drbio · 07-07-2005, 09:05 AM

I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear she is ok Evil.

I'm fighting some of the 9/11 emotions right now.

ZueriMav · 07-07-2005, 09:09 AM

Great news Evil. As I told you, I got in touch with my friend via SMS. I tried to phone him, but the lines are too busy. He actualy works at a bank in the middle of the City. Fortunatelly for him, he's right now in Paris on a business trip.

I also really hope that there are not too many casualties. Well, one is already one too many ;-(

kg_veteran · 07-07-2005, 09:13 AM

I'm relieved to hear that your sister is okay, Evil.

Sooner or later, the resolve of the civilized world will be strengthened and it will rise up against terrorism and crush it. I just hope that it's sooner rather than later.

Drbio · 07-07-2005, 09:44 AM

40 confirmed casualties as of the last report a few minutes ago. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

Many more wounded.

AnMan21 · 07-07-2005, 12:44 PM

A couple questions I have:

Does the elevated alert for US transit divert attention from other potential targets?

With Al-Qaeda issuing warnings to other countries, does this increase resolve in the war on terror, or does it give those opposed even more of a reason to say, "let's get out"?

sike · 07-07-2005, 03:05 PM

any news if anyone has claimed this attack as their own yet?

AnMan21 · 07-07-2005, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: sike
any news if anyone has claimed this attack as their own yet?

supposedly the "Secret Organization of Al-Qaeda in Europe" has claimed responsibility. i don't know if it's been verified yet. they claimed to have issued repeated warnings to Britain and also issued warnings to Italy and Denmark. they say they have given fair notice and should not be held responsible for any further "retaliation"

Ninkobei · 07-07-2005, 08:48 PM

It would seem England and America are officially in the same boat now. I think this increases activity in the war on terror, without a doubt.

*conspiracy time* could it be a group in france is just angry at London because Paris didn't get the olympics? They wouldn't do anything so outrageous. would they?

I've been listening to BBC radio all morning and Brittains sound a lot like we did on 9-11. IE: We won't let this effect our everyday lives.

MavKikiNYC · 07-08-2005, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Ninkobei
It would seem England and America are officially in the same boat now. I think this increases activity in the war on terror, without a doubt.

*conspiracy time* could it be a group in france is just angry at London because Paris didn't get the olympics? They wouldn't do anything so outrageous. would they?

I've been listening to BBC radio all morning and Brittains sound a lot like we did on 9-11. IE: We won't let this effect our everyday lives.

What about Spain? Why aren't they in the same boat? And what about France? And Germany? Isn't it just a matter of time?

The nutless Chiraq stands there grousing about losing the Olympics, while Isamlo-facists would gladly destroy the civilization of which he is a product. Chiraq will go down as one of the century's biggest cowards and scoundrels.

Time for ALL of the civilized nations of the world to step up and contriubte to the defense of Western civilization.