Four London Blasts Kill 40, Injure 300

madkins

Registered
10

AP

Four London Blasts Kill 40, Injure 300

25 minutes ago

Four blasts rocked the London subway and tore open a packed double-decker bus during the morning rush hour Thursday, sending bloodied victims fleeing after what a shaken Prime Minister Tony Blair called "barbaric" terrorist attacks. At least 40 people were killed and more than 350 wounded. Two U.S. law enforcement officials said at least 40 people were killed. In London, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Piddick said at least 33 people killed in the subway system alone.

Skara Brae,

madkins
 
10

BBC.-UK
Last Updated: Thursday, 7 July, 2005, 12:27 GMT 13:27 UK

Statement claiming London attacks

The BBC has located an Islamist website that has published a 200-word statement issued by an organisation saying it carried out the London bombings.
The organisation calls itself the Secret Organisation Group of al-Qaeda [literally the base] of Jihad Organisation in Europe.

The group is previously unknown.

The website has previously carried statements purporting to be from al-Qaeda. It is not possible to verify such claims published on the web.

This is the full text of the statement.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, may peace be upon the cheerful one and undaunted fighter, Prophet Muhammad, God's peace be upon him. <b

r>
Nation of Islam and Arab nation: Rejoice for i
t is time to take revenge against the British Zionist Crusader government in retaliation for the massacres Britain is committing in Iraq and Afghanistan. The heroic mujahideen have carried out a blessed raid in London. Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern, and western quarters.

We have repeatedly warned the British Government and people. We have fulfilled our promise and carried out our blessed military raid in Britain after our mujahideen exerted strenuous efforts over a long period of time to ensure the success of the raid.

We continue to warn the governments of Denmark and Italy and all the Crusader governments that they will be punished in the same way if they do not withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. He who warns is excused.

God says: "You who believe: If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly."

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Skara Brae,

madkins
 
10

Bloomberg.net


Gilts Rally After London Explosions: World's Biggest Mover

July 7 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. 10-year government bonds rallied, the biggest move of any government debt security, after a series of explosions shook London's financial district and brought the subway system to a halt.

The yield on the 10-year gilt fell to its lowest in two years and futures traders stepped up bets the Bank of England will cut interest rates. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said it was ``reasonably clear'' the blasts were caused by terrorists. Bonds are seen as a haven for investors during economic or political disruption because of their fixed payments.

``It is looking like a strategic action by terrorists and people are worried about what will happen ahead,'' said Harvinder Sian, a fixed-income strategist at ABN Amro Holding NV in London. ``The ri

se in gilts is down to this incident.''

The y
ield on the 10-year gilt fell 7 basis points, or 0.07 percentage point, to 4.21 percent. It earlier dropped as far as 4.12 percent, the lowest since June 2003.

``If there's the suspicion that there's a terrorist event people typically rush to buy government bonds and that's exactly what's happening here,'' said Menno Middeldorp, a senior economist at Rabobank Groep in Utrecht, Netherlands

The 4 3/4 percent gilt due September 2015 rose 0.59, or 5.9 pounds per 1,000-pound ($1,751) face amount, to 104.436 as of 3.15 p.m., according to Merrill Lynch & Co.

Al-Qaeda Claim

A group calling itself the al-Qaeda Organization in Europe claimed responsibility for the explosions, in a statement posted on an Islamist Web site. Police said the bombings left at least 33 dead.

In the futures market, traders speculated that the Bank of England will cut its benchmark interest rate, which it le
ft a
t 4.75 percent today, half a percentage point by September to counter any economic fall-out from
the bombings.

``The sentiment on the British economy will suffer after these explosions and that will bring us closer to a rate cut from the Bank of England,'' said Sarah Luetgert, a fixed-income strategist at WestLB AG in Frankfurt.

The yield on three-month interest-rate futures contracts maturing in September fell 15 basis points to 4.37 percent, the lowest in almost two years. The futures settle to the London interbank offered rate, a 90-day lending benchmark that has averaged 15 basis points, or 0.15 percentage point, above the central bank rate for the past 10 years.

Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the European Central Bank said the bombings were unlikely to have much of an impact on economic growth.

Trichet Comments

Trichet told a press conference he had been in contact with Bank of England Governor Mervyn King since the explosions. ``Our joint ob
servatio
n was that the market was functioning on both sides of the channel,'' Trichet added.

The Bank of England today
left its key lending rate at a four- year high for an 11th month. All but three of 42 economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected the decision. The rate is the highest in the Group of Seven industrialized nations.

Gilts earlier rose for the first day in five after an industry report showed house prices grew at the slowest pace in more than four years last month, stoking speculation the rate of U.K. growth is slowing.

Prices rose 3.7 percent in the year to June, the slowest annual increase since March 2001, HBOS Plc, the U.K.'s biggest mortgage lender, said today, and down from 5.7 percent the month before.

Gilt yields declined last week as reports indicated expansion in Europe's second-largest economy is slowing. The U.K. on June 30 lowered its estimates for growth in the past two quarters.

Britain's economy may have expanded at th
e slowest pa
ce in almost four years in the second quarter, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research said today.

Slower Growth

Growth was
probably 0.3 percent in three months through June compared with 0.4 percent in the first quarter, the London-based institute, whose clients include the U.K. Treasury and the Bank of England, said in an e-mailed statement.

Officials from the British Retail Consortium and the Confederation of British Industry have in the past three days called on the Bank of England to lower its rates to spur growth.

The BRC said yesterday prices at U.K. retailers fell the most in five months in June, declining 0.3 percent on the month compared with a 0.3 percent gain in May. The BRC said retail sales fell for a third month in June.

Steve Back, chief executive officer of U.K. supermarket operator Somerfield Plc, joined British Retail Consortium Director- General Kevin Hawkins and Andy Bond, chief executive of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s
Asda, in calling
for a cut in U.K. interest rates to kick-start U.K. consumer spending.

Skara Brae,

madkins
 
10

BBC.-UK
Last Updated: Thursday, 7 July, 2005, 14:18 GMT 15:18 UK

Eyewitnesses tell of travel hell

At least 33 people have been killed and hundreds injured after a series of explosions on the London Underground network and a bus in central London.
Eyewitnesses tell what they have seen and heard from around the capital.


DAVID JONES, TAVISTOCK SQUARE
Suddenly there was this thud, people on the bus said there's been an explosion behind us and people rushed to the front.

I said to people not to panic, keep calm. People evacuated our bus.

There was not a lot of fire but there was the smell of an explosion and at that point people wanted to walk away from what they had seen.

There was no glass falling... there was a thud and the roof had come off.

I suppose, to be honest, my first thought was G8, Olympics, somebody does not w

ant London to celebrate.


UNNAMED WITNESS, TAVISTOC
K SQUARE
I was walking along. There was a crowd of people around the bus.

The next thing I knew I was on the floor. There was shedloads of glass raining down.

Someone fell on me and someone fell on him. For a moment I thought I was going to be trampled.

I picked myself up and everyone was running. There was glass everywhere.

We ran into a building and a security guard was saying `get in, get in'. Then the security guard said `get out'... which was a bit scary.

I saw the bus ripped out at the back ... it couldn't have been anything else [but a terrorist attack].


BELINDA SEABROOK, RUSSELL SQUARE
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.

It was a massive explosion and there were papers and half a bus flying through the air.

There must be a lot of people dead as all the buses were packed, t
hey
had been turning people away from the tube stops.

We were about 20 metres away, that was all.



GERALDINE FOURMON, TAVISTOCK SQUARE
There was a big bang. After the smoke went away I realised there was a double decker bus exploded. People were running towards me screaming and crying.

I saw at least five people jump from the top deck of the bus. Half of it was blown away. They were jumping onto the street to escape.

It was such a big explosion and the bus was packed because the tube was closed. People were covered with dust and debris. I didn't see any blood.


ANDY ABERNETHY, LONDON
It was a train on the Piccadilly line between King's Cross and Russell Square and literally it was just a very loud bang. The train derailed.

There was smoke everywhere. There was no fire but the smoke was quite oppressive.

There were a lot of serious injuries down there as well. A lot of serious head injuries.

A guy by me thought he was going
to die,
I'm hoping he got out OK.



JACQUI HEAD, KING'S CROSS
Suddenly there was a massive bang, the train jolted. There was immediately smoke
everywhere and it was hot and everybody panicked.

People thought they were just going to suffocate

Jacqui Head


Terror of passengers

People started screaming and crying.

It was very scary while we were stuck on the train. Very silent and we were thinking we were not going to get out.

People thought they were just going to suffocate.



TAS FRANGOULLIDES, KING'S CROSS

The train didn't get very far out of the station when there was an explosion.

Loads of glass showered down over everyone, the glass in the doors in between all the carriages shattered.

There was a lot of smoke and a lot of dust, there were some areas of panic, I could hear screams. People were trying to work out what happened.

A lot of people were covered in blood.

I
started wal
king towards Russell Square then I saw the bus. Police were running from the scene and waving people away.

I had to walk to work because I had to try and do something normal, it was all so chaotic.

It wasn't
till I got to work that I realised I had a cut on my head and my clothes were covered in dust.



FIONA TRUEMAN, KING'S CROSS
It was about three minutes after we left King's Cross, when there was a massive bang and there was smoke and glass everywhere - I was standing near a window, and I've still got some in my hair.


In the aftermath of the explosion on a bus in Tavistock Square strangers recounted to each other what they heard and saw

In the aftermath



The lights went out, and with the smoke, we couldn't breathe, and we sort of cushioned each other during the impact because the compartment was so full.

It felt like a dream, it was surreal.

It was just horrendous, it was like a disast
er movie, you c
an't imagine being somewhere like that, you just want to get out.

I kept closing my eyes and thinking of outside.

It was frightening because all the lights had gone out and we didn't hear anything from the driver, so we wondered how he was.

Overall I feel
lucky, and my thoughts go out to the families of anyone who has died.



ARASH KAZEROUNI
There was a loud bang and the train ground to a halt. People started panicking, screaming and crying as smoke came into the carriage.

A man told everyone to be calm and we were led to safety along the track.

Everyone was terrified when it happened.

When they led us to safety, I went past the carriage where I think the explosion was. It was the second one from the front.

The metal was all blown outwards and there were people inside being helped by paramedics.

One guy was being tended outside on the track. His clothes were torn off and he seemed pretty badly burned. <
br>

ANA CAST
RO, LIVERPOOL STREET
People were screaming and shouting and saying things like I'm dying, I'm dying, please help me.

I saw people just standing there in their underwear as if their clothes had been ripped off [by the explosion].

I think I saw somebody who was dead it was just indescribable.



LISA
CURTIS, NEAR LIVERPOOL STREET
People were evacuated immediately. I overheard one lady saying to a police officer that it looked like someone had left what looked like a brown jumper on the platform and it exploded.

Smoke filled the platform and people were evacuated.


SARAH REID, NEAR LIVERPOOL STREET
I was on the train and there was a fire outside the carriage window and then there was a sudden jolt which shook us forward.

The explosion was behind me.

Some people took charge. We went out of the back of the carriage.

There was really hard banging from the carriage next door to us.

That was where it
happened.

A ca
rriage was split in two, all jagged, and without a roof, just open.

I saw bodies, I think... some people may have died.



SCOTT WENBOURNE, ALDGATE
I saw three bodies on the track. I couldn't look, it was so horrific. I think one was moving but I'm not too sure.

I couldn't look, it was so horrific

Scott Wenbourne


'People were screaming

There were also, I think, some bodies in the carriage, some were moving but I couldn't really look. No-one was attending to them.

We walked to the platform, which took about half an hour as there were so many of us, after all it was rush hour.

There were police at the platform and some of the injured were tended to.


JACK LINTON, 14, ALDGATE
There was a massive explosion, smoke and flames. My carriage must have been two away from where it was.

Everybody got on the floor. Then eventually the smoke cleared and we managed to open th
e central doors down the tr
ain to go to the back of it before they walked us along the track past the train to the station.

The middle of the train was blown out and there were people on the track.

I've got glass in my hair and my pockets and my ear hurts.



SIMON CORVETT, EDGWARE ROAD

All of sudden there was this massive huge bang. It was absolutely deafening and all the windows shattered.

The glass did not actually fall out of the
windows, it just cracked.

The train came to a grinding halt, everyone fell off their seats.

There were just loads of people screaming and the carriages filled with smoke.


You couldn't really breathe and you couldn't see what was happening. The driver came on the tannoy and said `We have got a problem, don't panic'.

You could see the carriage opposite was completely gutted.

There were some people in real trouble.

Skara Brae,

madkins
 
10

BBC.-UK
Last Updated: Thursday, 7 July, 2005, 10:59 GMT 11:59 UK


Reporters' Log: London explosions

Emergency services are continuing to help the injured after several explosions on the London Underground Tube network this morning, and on a bus in central London. BBC News correspondents are on the ground with the latest details.


Alison Freeman : Hyde Park : 1635 BST
Many of the shops in Oxford Street are closed with signs telling customers "Due to the events of 7 July, this store is closed" and armed police are patrolling the streets surounding the US embassy.

Walking through Hyde Park I am joined by hoards of commuters beginning their long journey home as the streets remain devoid of buses and the Tube network is closed.



Gordon Corera : BBC Television Centre : 1630 BST
The finger must point at al-Qaeda, though t

hat doesn't mean it was them. We haven't had any official conf
irmation. But it you look at the timing - the G8 summit - and the method - simulteneus attacks, a very typical al-Qaeda method.

Those kind of things do indicate us towards al-Qaeda. We don't know if these were suicide bombs or packages left on trains. Both of these methods have been used before.

After the general election there was a slight lowering of the threat level from international terrorism. There was still a concern over terrorism, but perhaps less sense of an imminent attack.

And there has to be a certain amount of concern that something else could happen. We can expect security to be tight around the country as a result of this.


Alison Freeman : Hyde Park : 1615 BST
Many of the shops in Oxford Street are closed with signs telling customers "Due to the events of 7 July, this store is closed" and armed police patrol the streets surounding the US embassy.

Walking throu
gh H
yde Park I am joined by hoards of commuters beginning their long journey home as streets remain devoi
d of buses and the Tube network closed.



Dominic Casciani : Royal London Hospital : 1540 BST
It's a sad fact of life that faith leaders in the East End have been preparing for the fallout of terrorism in London. The Bishop of Stepney, Stephen Oliver, and Dr Mohammed Abdul Bari, the chairman of the East London Mosque, have just spoken together outside the Royal London Hospital saying the East End and the whole of London must remain united in the face of terror.



Jane Mower : St Mary's Hospital : 1530 BST
Even though the cordons have begun to come down, any attempts to walk around are hampered by continuing security alerts.

A police officer directs people away from the site of yet another suspect package. Hastily written sign in Starbucks' windows tell customers "sorry we are closed".

Police sirens draw anxious stares as people t
entative
ly try to go about their business. Meanwhile TVs in pubs and cafes are tuned to the news.

And even a teenager is distracted from her magaz
ine as Tony Blair makes an announcement.



Gordon Corera : BBC Television Centre : 1455 BST
There is still nothing confirmed regarding responsibility, and I don't think we should expect anything to be confirmed for some time while the attacks are being investigated.


Emergency services are still at central London stations

But the indications, from the timing and the method, the nature of the attack and the lack of warning, are clear.

The most worrying trend has been the way al-Qaeda has fragmented.

At first people thought that was a good thing, because that meant a sign of its defeat, but lots of groups have popped up in other countries which are inspired by them.


Frank Gardner : BBC Television Centre : 1445 BST
At the moment the only claim for responsibility comes from a group cal
ling themsel
ves The Secret Organisation Group of Al-Qaida of Jihad Organisation in Europe. It's not a name anybody has heard of before.

It's a 200-word text calling on people to rejoice
because it's time to take revenge on the British government for what it calls the massacres Britain is committing in Afghanistan and Iraq.

It goes on to call it a blessed raid in London and that Britain is now burning with fear and panic. Finally it warns Denmark, Italy and all the crusader governments that they'll be punished too if they don't withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

But we don't know yet if it's genuine.



Marie Jackson : Aldgate : 1425 BST

Arriving at Aldgate East, three police officers on horseback barricade Fenchurch Street. There is little activity now beyond the police tape, just a growing band of journalists and television crews kept outside.

Pedestrians seem less bothered than usual by the rain. Many are happ
y to get wet saf
e in the knowledge that friends and family are safe.

"The first I realised was as I was coming into work," said Heather Carson, who works in a solicitors office in Fenchurch Street, yards from the Aldgate East explosio
n.

"We were told there was a security alert on the tube and then we were told that Bank was shut because of a power surge.

"We knew when we got off because the streets were very quiet and there was loads of sirens going off."



Dominic Casciani : Royal London Hospital : 1415 BST
Whitechapel Road is strangely quiet - at any time of day or night it's a frenzy of activity, thanks to one of the largest street markets in London. But today police cordons restricting traffic coming anywhere near the explosion site at Aldgate mean an entirely different atmosphere has descended on the East End.

Clearly the emergency operation is still running at full pelt. Only seconds ago another blood bank convoy dashed d
own to Aldgate Stati
on at 60 miles per hour.

We don't know exactly what's going on at the station, and whether people are still trapped underground, but the hospital is updating its figures for how many people it's treating.

As of 1345 Royal London Hospital dealt with 208 casual
ties, 26 of which had been admitted. At the moment 13 are being operated on and three are in intensive care.



Marie Jackson : Fenchurch Street : 1345 BST

My destination is Aldgate East, scene of one of the morning's explosions. But as is happening all across London, roads are becoming no-go zones as suspect packages are uncovered.


There have been hundreds of walking wounded

At the junction of Gracechurch Street and Fenchurch Street the police tape goes up, officers redirect traffic and the usual lunchtime haunts of M&S and Boots are evacuated. Sniffer dogs and police vans are quickly at the scene but within minutes the package is investigated and dealt
with.

Officers r
e-open the road as shop staff gather under shelter from the rain, talking about how are they ever going to get home.



Dominic Casciani : Aldgate East : 1325 BST
Workers in the city of London are still trying to take in what has happened. And almost every pub around Liverpool Street is packed with people w
anting to watch the One o' clock news.

At the East India Arms, a small pub on Fenchurch Street, bankers quietly sipped their pints of Young's bitter while listening to the news and watching the pictures of how their city has been changed. Those in the pub were recounting tales of the morning's events, some of them speculative, much of it rumour. When the prime minister's statement came up on the news the pub almost immediately fell silent.

However, the strange thing is that despite this terrible attack, there really is an air of people just trying to get on with things. As soon as the prime minister stopped talking, the pub erupted
in conversation with all th
e usual talking points - contracts, deadlines and projects.


June Kelly : Edgware Road : 1310 BST

The police have confirmed there have been a number of fatalities at Edgware Road.

A number of people have been seriously injured, and then there are the walking wounded. Police say everyone is now out of the tube station.

Tw
o trains were caught up in the explosion here. Witnesses have spoken about glass showering down on them and being plunged into darkness.

People who got out are very shaken and have told us in dramatic detail about getting out, but the very bad news is that some people have died here.


Jane Mower : St Mary's Hospital, Paddington : 1300 BST

Workers are starting to come out of their offices for lunch breaks and are standing around trying to absorb what is going on around them. One woman told me how she struggled to get into work only to be told the building had been evacuated and she was being sent h
ome.

Another talked fran
tically into her mobile, trying to track down a family member she has not been able to get in touch with. It is all cordoned off around here - there's no traffic at all.



Gordon Corera : BBC Television Centre : 1248 BST

It could be that a number of different statements of responsibility appear on the web in web chat forums that militant groups use.

A lot
of people did think the core al-Qaeda leadership had been severely damaged. But the worry has always been that there were groups influenced by them, who believe in the same thing and follow the same model.


Doctors arriving in central London

That was the model for the Madrid attacks last year. They were not people who were centrally commanded, directed by Bin laden in a cave.

In a way those groups are harder to direct and stop than those travelling out of Afghanistan or who are in contact with the leadership left there.


Alison Freeman : Edgware Road
: 1245 BST

There are hordes
of press here but it's difficult to contact the office because the phone networks are down. The whole area is cordoned off and there are crowds of people at the cordons.

There are several fire engines and ambulances coming in and out all the time, although I haven't seen any injured people. At St Mary's Hospital there are staff standing outside waiting for people to come in - there is a constant strea
m of fire engines, but it is quite calm.



Ben Davies : Tavistock Square : 1241 BST

I have just cycled across central London which has been hit by major road closures with few vehicles about except ambulances and police vans.

Near the scene of the Tavistock Square bus attack Euston Road is shut as is nearby Russell Square.

The normally bustling West End is eerily quiet



The aftermath of the London bus bomb

My route took me from Bloomsbury via Soho and Trafalgar Square to the BBC Westminster of
fices. The normally bustling West End i
s eerily quiet apart from people trying to get to work and the odd determined tourist.

In Tavistock Square the wreckage of the roofless red London bus sits outside the offices of the British Medical Association, newspapers blowing in the road. A symbol of an ordinary Thursday morning commute cruelly interrupted.


Andrew Winstanley : Liverpool Street : 1239 BST
The station is still closed and all the shops are being closed with people s
till inside; there seems to be a general lockdown.

Police are going from door to door searching apartments above shops to check them out. There is concern that there may be more undetected devices.



Jeff Randall : City of London : 1235 BST


There are lots of men in suits coming out of the City of London - clearly they couldn't leave their offices and get on to the tubes and taxis so they're simply walking home - it's an extraordinary sight.

The emergency servic
es are really rallying the troops. As I bat
tled in from Essex ambulances and police cars were pouring in from Essex to try to shore up the job the emergency services are doing here. As for the City itself, trading is remarkably calm. There's a very low level of trading largely because many of the big banks have evacuated their offices.



Fergal Parkinson : Tavistock Square : 1220 BST


I'm outside the British Medical Association on Tavistock Square where a lot of the injured are still being treated. People are ly
ing on the ground being treated by paramedics and doctors - some of whom obviously work at the BMA.

Five ambulances have arrived and are taking a few more people away as well. There's also a large ambulance with seats on board and people are starting to walk on to that vehicle. I've also seen blood supplies arrive - three vans from the National Blood Service with blue lights flashing.



Dominic Casciani : Aldgate East : 1215 BST
At
Aldgate East witnesses to the scene said they s
aw the best side of the emergency services shortly after the incident happened.

St Botolph's Church has become some kind of command centre as it's close to the Tube exits.

Meanwhile at the cordon blood bank couriers have been seen taking supplies to the scene on mopeds so they can get round the chaotic traffic in the city.

One of the strangest scenes has been a queue of helicopters just to the east of the station waiting to land on the helipad at the Royal London Hospital. Things have quietened down a l
ot since then - the mobile phone network is back up which means the long queues which had formed at public phone boxes have all gone.


Guto Harri : BBC Television Centre : 1210 BST

Tony Blair has talked on many occasions about what keeps him awake at night. And it seems that his worst nightmare is now happening. In his statement he was very calm and determined, saying he was going to return to London. He wants
to speak to the people who have suffered, and actua
lly try and get to grips with the situation.

There are well established procedures in place. Which is why we're seeing all these emergency procedures being put in place, such as transport being shut down. They have been preparing for this.



John Pienaar : Gleneagles : 1209 BST
The first confirmation that these are being treated as terrorist attacks and the prime minister is sending two messages - firstly of course of sympathy for the victims, and secondly a message of defiance to the terrorists.

The visible evidence is th
at he will return to London in a couple of hours to be briefed by senior officers and then return to the G8 summit later to carry on. All leaders seem to have decided not to give the terrorists what they were looking for - the cancellation of the summit.


Peter Hunt : Liverpool Street : 1205 BST
People here really are struggling to resume their working lives and there are lots of peopl
e standing around in huddles - there's little appet
ite for work. Others are trying to make their way by foot as it is impossible for them to make their way by any other means within the City of London.


Firemen help the injured at Aldgate East underground station

Large numbers of streets and roads are closed. I passed 12 London buses who'd been advised not to move. The emergency services are trying constantly to stop people from hanging around near the cordon - quite extensive forensics work is going on on the underground well away from prying eyes.


Dominic Casciani : Aldgate East : 1200 BST

It
's midday in what should be one of the busiest parts of the city, but all the areas surrounding Aldgate East have been cordoned off, leaving city office workers trying to make head or tail of what is going on. At the Minories entrance to the cordon, eight London firefighters have just left the scene, covered in grime and looking pretty exhausted.

But for an
yone on the outside of the cordon it is very difficult to k
now what is really going on as the London security plan swings into action.


Jim Wheble : Aldgate : 1159 BST
There have been a lot of ambulances coming up and down to Aldgate. Looking up from street level, I saw six or seven army officers in fatigues surveying Liverpool Street with binoculars from the rooftops.

Offices have been evacuated around Aldgate, with people coming out of their offices and not knowing what is going on. The situation here is a lot more controlled now.


Mark Easton : Kings Cross : 1155 BST
The situation has been developing over the last couple of h
ours. When I arrived just after 9am I saw some people, walking with now familiar black faces and arms. Since then the situation has developed rather dramatically.

There are 4 double decker buses being used as treatment centres for the less seriously injured. I must have seen 60 or 70 people brought up, many in tears, some with laceratio
ns to their faces. One man was hobbling, another woman in a whe
elchair with a very badly injured leg.


Richard Foster: Liverpool Street: 1135 BST
Hounsditch is sealed off and there are police on horseback there. Liverpool Street station is sealed off. The number of people there was in its thousands when I first arrived, but now it has thinned out. The pubs are full round here; people are gathering for news updates and sending texts to let people now they are alright.


Nick Thatcher : Royal London Hospital : 1130 BST
The Royal London Hospital have been receiving casualties all morning. This is a major hospital in East London. There's an air ambulance lan
ding on the roof behind me. There are buses behind me which have come from the Kings Cross area in central London. On board are walking wounded who have been ferried here.


Jon Brain : Edgware Road : 1115 BST

There's been a scene of chaos and confusion all morning here but it's beginning to settle
down. The entire area around the tube station has been sealed off a
nd there are dozens of emergency vehicles here.

We've seen a number of walking wounded emerge from the station, many of them covered with blood and obviously quite distraught. They are being treated at a hotel opposite the tube station.

The concern now is whether there are still people trapped inside the tube station underground. I've seen a team of paramedics go into the station in the last half hour.

Skara Brae,

madkins
 
10

BNP site


Done in the name of Allah

7th July 2005

News article filed by BNP news team

A religion of peace?

An Islamic terror group has this afternoon claimed responsibility for the outrages that have brought chaos to central London. Devices were used on three different underground trains and one on a London transport bus and have led to at least 33 people being killed and hundreds injured.

Blood trail

The adherents of Islam claim that it is a religion of peace. The small extremist minority that can out such murderous attacks upon our people show quite the opposite. This alien creed breeds disaffection, hatred and violence. Almost every global conflict taking place today is where this "peaceful" religion is trying to assume or maintain influence and power. From Nigeria through to Chad and Sudan and northwards through the Middle Eas

t and into the Caucasus, lie battle zones where Islam
ics are fighting non-believers.

Today as a consequence of the horrific murders of commuters and holidaymakers in our national capital to that blood stained green crescent of death can be added London's name.

Murder gang's message

The text of the proclamation from the Secret Organisation Group of al-Qaeda of Jihad Organisation in Europe reads as follows:

In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, may peace be upon the cheerful one and undaunted fighter, Prophet Muhammad, God's peace be upon him.

Nation of Islam and Arab nation: Rejoice for it is time to take revenge against the British Zionist Crusader government in retaliation for the massacres Britain is committing in Iraq and Afghanistan. The heroic mujahideen have carried out a blessed raid in London. Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern, and western quarters.

We have repeatedly warn
ed t
he British Government and people. We have fulfilled our promise and carried out
our blessed military raid in Britain after our mujahideen exerted strenuous efforts over a long period of time to ensure the success of the raid.

We continue to warn the governments of Denmark and Italy and all the Crusader governments that they will be punished in the same way if they do not withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. He who warns is excused.

God says: "You who believe: If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing on the British National Front site yet.

Skara Brae,

madkins
 
10

Sympathy from the US, Madkins. If you Brits have the stones that Spain, the US, and countless other nations lack, you will promptly SMASH the living hell out of any and all mud-colored subhuman Arabs in your midst.

I can't think of a better response, or one that would be rapidly understood by your intra-country muslim "terror-cells" that orchestrated these attacks.
 
10

BBC.-UK
Last Updated: Thursday, 7 July, 2005, 15:08 GMT 16:08 UK

Latest travel situation in London

Tube commuters tried to make their way onto packed buses
London's transport network is still effectively paralysed after a series of explosions across the city.
The Tube network is likely to remain shut until Friday and there are no buses in central London but most mainline train stations are open.

Millions face difficult journeys home and many have booked into hotels.

Several bomb scares mean the situation keeps changing, but police want Londoners to think about making their journey home early.


LONDON UNDERGROUND
The entire Tube network is still suspended and, as a precaution, the Docklands Light Railway in east London has also been shut.

British Transport Police's Andy Trotter said it was likely it would not reopen befor

e Friday.

He said: "Obviously we don't want a great
rush out of central London and it's going to be a very difficult evening to get people away, but I know that everyone is working together to try to get people home as best they can."

He asked that people check travel advice and start trying to make their way home as early as possible.


TRAINS
King's Cross is now the only mainline station which is still closed and is likely to remain so for some time.

Euston, Paddington, Liverpool Street and Victoria have reopened for mainline services but not for Tube services.

We have got a number of services that have been truncated because of the security alert

Travel London spokesman


Transport chaos across England

Eurostar's London to Paris service is still running, although passengers travelling from the continent are being advised not to travel to London.

The Heathrow Express has started running again but th
e St
ansted Express is not running as far as Liverpool Street. The Gatwick Express is running.

Mainline London to Sc
otland train company GNER said it did not expect its East Coast Main Line services to run as far as London at any time on Thursday.


BUSES
All bus services in central London - zone one - have been suspended, as have all coach services in and out of the city. Dep Ch Con Trotter said he hoped they would start later on Thursday afternoon.

Safety checks are being carried out on all buses still in service, after an explosion ripped through a bus in Tavistock Square.

A spokesman for Travel London, which runs buses out of Walworth depot, in south-east London, said: "We have got a number of services that have been truncated because of the security alert.

"We are waiting to see how things pan out and taking advice from police and Transport for London. We are waiting further instructions."


PLANES
Airlines at Heathrow are operat
ing norm
ally, but some delays are expected as passengers struggle to reach the west London airport.

The Stansted Express rail service is terminating at Tottenha
m Hale, although flights were running as usual at both Stansted and Gatwick airports.

The Federation of Tour Operators is advising people who were due to fly from the London airports to still go to the airport to check in, even if they are delayed.

"If customers miss their flight as a result of the incidents, FTO members will endeavour to source seats on alternative flights operated by or on behalf of members," a spokesman said.


ROADS
Motorists are being advised not to drive into London as many roads are shut.

An RAC spokesman said when people heard news of the explosions, some tried to leave London and the roads became gridlocked.

Some are still extremely slow, although many parts of the capital are running smoothly.

Euston Road, Marylebone Road and Aldgate one-way system we
re among roa
ds closed in the centre of London.

The congestion charge has been suspended for the day.


RIVER
The Thames Clipper boats are running a free service on Thursday evening, they start f
rom the Savoy Pier and include stops at Bankside, London Bridge and Canary Wharf on the way to Surrey Quays.

Skara Brae,

madkins
 
10

The Australian


We did it, says al-Qa'ida Europe

Rod Dalton and Agencies

July 08, 2005

A EUROPEAN arm of al-Qa'ida has claimed responsibility for the London terror bombings, in retaliation for Britain's role in the liberation of Iraq and Afghanistan.

A previously unknown group calling itself "Secret Organisation - al-Qa'ida in Europe" posted the claim on the internet, a German magazine reported on its website.

Der Spiegel magazine reported that the group had posted its message on a website popular with Islamic militants.

"Rejoice, Islamic nation. Rejoice, Arab world. The time has come for vengeance against the Zionist crusader government of Britain in response to the massacres Britain committed in Iraq and Afghanistan," read the statement, a photograph of which was displayed on Der Spiegel'

s website.

"The heroic mujaheddin carried out a blessed attack in London, and
now Britain is burning with fear and terror, from north to south, east to west."

The statement cited by Der Spiegel also warned the governments of Denmark and Italy that they would face "the same punishment" if they failed to withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Italian news agency ANSA reported a similarly named group "Secret Group of al-Qai'da's Jihad in Europe" had claimed the attack in a website posting that also warned Italy and Denmark to withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Heroic mujaheddins carried out a sacred attack in London, and here is Britain burning in fear, terror, and fright in the north, south, east and west," said a statement posted on the internet, which could not be authenticated.

The group said the attacks were "in response to the massacres carried out by Britain in Iraq and Afghanistan
&quo
t;.

"We have repeatedly warned the Government and people of Britain, and we have now fulfilled our promise and have carried out a sacred milita
ry attack in Britain," it said.

"We continue to warn the governments of Denmark, Italy and all the crusaders that they will meet the same punishment if they do not withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan."

Although the claim of responsibility is yet to be validated, security analysts have drawn comparisons between the apparently co-ordinated blasts across London's transport network and last year's Madrid bombings, which killed almost 200 people in an apparent attempt to influence the result of the Spanish elections.

The claim did not appear on any of the websites normally used by al-Qa'ida.

The London attacks were in the style of Osama bin Laden's terror network.

The use of near simultaneous attacks to cause maximum damage and panic is a tactic frequently used by al-Qa&#
39;ida.


The technique was used in the 1998 bombing of two US embassies in East Africa and the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington in which four hijacked airliners were aimed at key bu
ildings.

Almost 3000 people died in those attacks, prompting the Bush administration to launch the global war on terrorism.

The pattern has been repeated in attacks blamed on al-Qa'ida or sympathetic Islamist militants in Bali, Kenya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Spain.

The London blasts were reminiscent of Madrid on March 11, 2004, when 10 bombs hidden in sports bags exploded on crowded commuter trains during the morning rush hour.

"There are lots of parallels with the Madrid blast ... We have to assume it's a terrorist attack," German security analyst Rolf Tophoven said.

"The first thing that's very obvious is the synchronised nature of the attacks, and that's pretty classic for al-Qa'ida or al-Qa'ida-related organi
sations,&qu
ot; said another security analyst, Sebestyen Gorka.

Skara Brae,

madkins
 
10

BNP site


BNP leader makes emergency appeal

7th July 2005

News article filed by BNP news team


"Stay calm. Give blood. Blame Blair not ordinary Muslims." This is the earnest and sincere advice from British National Party leader Nick Griffin in the wake of this morning's terrorist outrages in our capital city.

Following the Islamic fundamentalist massacres in London, two tendencies will rapidly become apparent: First the pro-government media will swing into action, bringing out a steady stream of injured ordinary Muslims and a flood of 'moderate' Muslim spokesmen to condemn the extremists. Second, millions of ordinary Brits just won't believe them, with severe extra strain on race relations as a result. And, of course, those sceptics will be right to doubt what the media and the political Establishment tell them, not least
r
because, for all the ritual condemnation by the Labour Party pu
ppets in the Muslim Council of Britain, a significant minority of young Muslims in this country do support the terrorists - the celebrations among the traders on Bradford Market this morning being a case in point. No doubt we will hear of more such instances as time goes on.

Blame the politicians

But, equally, large numbers of more Westernised Muslims do not support them. The BNP therefore appeals to everybody to stay calm, and for those who are angry about the mass murder in London to direct that anger towards the people who turned our country into a prime terrorist target. That was the inevitable and utterly foreseeable result of decades of foreign policy decisions which meddled in the Middle East on behalf of Israel and against the Palestinians, culminating in the illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq on the coat-tails of George Bush's attempt to seize control of large amounts of oil and to please the powerful pro-Israeli
neo
-con lobby. Summed up, people should blame Blair and New Labour, rath
er than ordinary Muslims. The way to hit back is to eject Labour candidates at every election from now on (and not by voting Tory because the Conservatives are also stained forever by their support of the unjust war that led directly to today's targeting of our capital city).

It is almost inevitable that, within a week at most, the liberal intellectual newspapers in particular will be full of wailing about how the atrocities have sparked an upsurge of 'Islamophobia' - that piece of political cant that demonises legitimate concern about the inherently undemocratic, anti-Western nature of the Islamic religion and labels it as unthinking 'hate'. It is vital, at this time of national grief and anger, that the propagandists of the liberal multi-culti 'dream' are not given any ammunition for their campaign to bury the truth and stifle the debate that should now take place about how we are going to avoid t
oday&#3
9;s strains between West and East becoming a future war on our own streets.

Do somet
hing useful

So if you are angry today - as we are and as you should be - get that anger out of your system by doing something truly useful, something that will really help: Call the National Blood Service or your local hospital and find out how and where you can give blood to help the injured and maimed. And, once you know, persuade a car-load of friends to go with you and help as well.

One last thing, a personal message from me: I was heavily criticised last year by the BBC, Labour politicians and Guardianistas for calling Islam a "wicked, vicious faith", and later this year I face a trial for saying that and for exposing instances of racist attacks on innocent young whites by gangs of young thugs from the Islamic community. I did not, and I do not, say that Muslims are wicked and vicious, but I maintain that a faith that provides the justification and the 'moral' climate f
or some of
its most ardent followers to plant bombs on crowded tube trains and buses in London, or to beat and stab lone kufirs' on the streets of dozens of British towns and cities, is indeed wicked and vicious. The Islamification of Britain can and must be stopped by political and then legal changes. And the same methods must be used to reverse it.

Britain and the West will be free and Western, or they will be an endless bloodbath. Today's horrific events have shown that, in the end, whatever propaganda the BBC produces over the days ahead, that is the only choice we have to make.

Nick Griffin
Chairman, British National Party

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing from the British National Front yet.

Skara Brae,

madkins
 
10

BNP site

BNP video prophecy

7th July 2005

News article filed by BNP news team

Last year BNPtv put together a horrific video which made the link between mass immigration and the prospect of terrorist attacks in our capital. The video made the eerie prediction that the London underground would be a target for such terrorist attacks.

These cowards who have carried out today's attacks deliberately targeted a soft target. They didn't go for the politicians who created the situation in the Middle East, they did not attack the men with their hands on the centre of power, they attacked innocent men, women and children going about their daily business, travelling to work, school or visiting the capital for leisure or recreation.

29/07/04
Imported Votes and Terrorism

A shocking video about the number of potential 5th columnists entering Br

itain, legally and illegally.

Stand
ard 56kbps quality
Broadband high quality

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing from the British National Front yet.

Skara Brae,

madkins
 
10

Multi-Racialism is wonderful, isn't it

WarRigel(stormfront.org)


Guardian Unlimited

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Details of the London blasts

Mark Oliver
Thursday July 7, 2005

Four blasts tore through London's transport system during the morning rush hour in a choreographed series of terrorist attacks.
Police said at least 33 people were killed, 21 near King's Cross station, and the ambulance service said it had treated around 350 people, with more than 40 of those in a serious condition.

Three of the blasts were on tube trains and a fourth was on a bus. Explosives were said to have been found at two blast sites.

Below are reports from the main incident sites in order of occurrence:

8.56am - Between King's Cross and Russell Square stations

The attac

k with the highest confirmed death toll today was the one on a tube train
travelling between King's Cross and Russell Square on the Piccadilly line, in which police said 21 people had died.

CNN quoted one emergency worker who said he had removed "several" bodies from the train and that "at least 13" remained there.

One survivor, Fiona Trueman, 26, was on the train a few minutes south of King's Cross when it exploded.

Speaking outside the Royal London hospital, Ms Trueman, who works in marketing for Sky News, said: "It was about three minutes after we left King's Cross, when there was a massive bang and there was smoke and glass everywhere. I was standing near a window, and I've still got some in my hair.

"The lights went out, and, with the smoke, we couldn't breathe, and we sort of cushioned each other during the impact because the compartment was so full.

"It felt like a dream, it was surreal.

"I was i
n th
e second carriage and I think the explosion was in the carriage in front of me, or maybe was even on the track, and the screaming from the front c
arriage was terrible.

"It was just horrendous; it was like a disaster movie. You can't imagine being somewhere like that - you just want to get out. I kept closing my eyes and thinking of outside. It was frightening because all the lights had gone out and we didn't hear anything from the driver, so we wondered how he was.

"Some people were very calm and were telling everybody not to panic, and after a few minutes we started to get messages that we would be unloaded from the back of the train and walked to safety. It took about 15 minutes to walk along the track to King's Cross."

Gary Lewis, 32, described the scene at King's Cross station where the injured were being treated by paramedics. He said: "People were covered in black soot and smoke. People were running everywhere and screaming. It was chaos.&
quot;

9.17am - Edgware Road station

Police confirmed five people died after an explosion ripped through an underground train as it was around 100 metres from arriving at Edgware Road station
.

The blast blew through a wall onto another train on an adjoining platform and in total three trains were affected.

One witness said the floor of the train he was standing on was "blown out" and other witnesses spoke of a huge hole being torn out of the floor.

The Press Association said one man was thought to have fallen through the gap and died. There were unconfirmed reports of another passenger being decapitated.

The train was heading towards Paddington when the explosion occurred. Survivors spoke of being deafened by the blast.

Another report suggested at least one passenger was blown out of the train by the force of the blast. One passenger said: "Most of us on my carriage were lucky, we just got cuts and bruises, but those next door were in real
trouble.&quo
t;

Another survivor, Ben McCarthy, told the ITV News channel he was on the train but in a different carriage to the centre of the blast. He said: "There was a quite loud explosion a couple of carriages up from where I was.
The carriages filled with smoke.

"At that stage, somebody, a man I think, was blown out of the door of the train. He was under the carriages. Everything was black, and filled with smoke for a while. We were on the train for 20 minutes to half an hour before people came down the track and gradually escorted us to Edgware Road.

"It was terrifying. People were incredibly calm but very, very shocked. The screams from the guy who was under the train obviously made the whole incident so much worse."

Tony Dodd, 39, who works for Metronet, was one of those who went to help. "It was pretty awful down there," he said. "There were bodies and people were very badly burned."

Later, speaking outside the station, Su
perintendent Joh
n Morgan confirmed there were "a number of fatalities" and said "things are still relatively confused".

At least 50 firefighters, 30 ambulance crews and just as many Underground first aid workers surrounded the scene. Sniffer dogs were brought in and taken below ground. The wa
lking wounded had cuts and were suffering from smoke inhalation and covered in soot.

Inside the nearby Hilton Metropole, the entire reception and lounge bar was overrun with injured passengers. Shopping trolleys filled with medical supplies were parked near reception as a steady stream of people were treated. One man left the building with a bandage wrapped round his head and his shirt drenched in blood.

8.51am - Between Aldgate East and Liverpool Street stations

Police said seven people died in a blast on a tube train as it travelled between the Liverpool Street and Aldgate East stations, which are both in the capital's financial district.

One woman caught i
n the explosion said
: "There were people there screaming out in agony. There were parts of the train all over the track."

Loyita Worley, 49, was on the train when the explosion went off in a nearby carriage and said the carriage that was hit was torn from "floor to ceiling".

She said she had seen some seriously injured people dow
n in the tunnel and saw 20 to 30 "walking wounded".

This attack was the first to be reported, with police being alerted to an explosion at Liverpool Street at 8.49am. Initially it was thought that there had been separate incidents at the two stations as well as nearby Moorgate, before it became clear it happened in the tunnel between stations. The first reports said the explosion was caused by a power problem.

One of the dead and around 100 wounded people were taken to Royal London hospital in nearby Whitechapel, although it was not clear how many of these were from the Liverpool Street/Aldgate East blast and how many from
other attacks. Ten peop
le at the Royal London were described as being in a critical condition.

Hospital officials said three double-decker buses loaded with casualties were brought to the Royal London. Several other hospitals said they had received wounded people but declined to give numbers.

A man who survived the Aldgate East blast told of passengers' terror when thei
r train ground to a halt. Arash Kazerouni, 22, said: "There was a loud bang and the train ground to a halt. People started panicking, screaming and crying as smoke came into the carriage. A man told everyone to be calm and we were led to safety along the track."

Mr Kazerouni, from Edmonton, north London, said: "Everyone was terrified when it happened. When they led us to safety, I went past the carriage where I think the explosion was. It was the second one from the front.

"The metal was all blown outwards and there were people inside being helped by paramedics. One guy was being tended
outside on the track. His cl
othes were torn off and he seemed pretty badly burned."

9.47am - Tavistock Place, near Russell Square

A red double-decker bus exploded near Russell Square, leaving the whole of the vehicle's top floor a mangled mess, open to the sky.

Police could not give a toll of fatalities but said there were "many casualties" as a result of the explosion. Early unconfirmed reports said there
were at least two dead. Reports said some of the injured had lost limbs.

The explosion went off as the bus was in Upper Woburn Square on the junction with Tavistock Place.

The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, said a bomb had exploded on the back of the top deck. He would not comment on whether the blast was caused by a suicide bomber.

One witness told BBC Radio 5 Live: "There were at least one or two fatalities laid out on the pavement."

Bob Mills, a producer for Sky News, said: "I was one of those who h
ad to be evacuated, walking towa
rds Russell Square, when, suddenly, there was a huge explosion on the street up in front of me and all I could see was the top of a bus completely destroyed.

"We all heard an explosion and everything just disappeared in front of me, and I'm looking at people with blood injuries and walking away from the scene."

One woman witness said: "Some people were able to carry other people who were much more badly injured than them. There were a
lot of people with terrible burns. People were starting to get very dehydrated and very unwell. When the emergency services got there they had to carry up people in blankets who had lost limbs."

Sandra Pollins, who was on the street near the bus, told the ITV News channel: "There was glass flying. Everybody ran for cover in a shop doorway. It was terrifying. It took a minute or two to compose ourselves, then we came out. I could not even recognise that it was a bus. The whole roof had been blo
wn off. There were people just walki
ng around with blood all over their faces.

"People lying on the ground. Absolutely terrifying. People were just staggering off that bus in a complete state. One woman I spoke to said she could not hear anything any more, her partner was still on the bus."

Debris littered the street and the facade of a nearby building was blackened and scarred by shrapnel.

Skara Brae,

madkins
 
10

today as you all know and had seen the news...the breaking news is that london had been attacked.... from your point of few...when do you think this is going to stop..and how can you relate to this attack...

there had been Four blasts that rocked the London subway and tore open a packed double-decker bus during the morning rush hour Thursday, sending bloodied victims fleeing in the worst attack on London since World War II.

last time i check there were about 1000 injured and 42 dead...first it was the states now it is the UK...who is next...
 
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