Posted on 07/08/2005 7:25:03 AM PDT by Wiz
LONDON -- A massive hunt was underway on Friday for the bombers who brought carnage to Central London, killing more than 50 people and injuring some 700 in a series of blasts on the transport system, as commuters grimly returned to work.
Police bolstered their presence on the streets to reassure the wary public, as governments around the world beefed up security in the wake of Thursday's blasts, the worst terror attack ever in Britain.
Flags flew at half-mast on public buildings and Buckingham Palace in tribute to the victims of the attacks, which authorities said were carried out without warning.
Officials said that they expected the death toll to rise further.
In the underground rail network where three of the explosions went off, sniffer dogs and extra police were on patrol, as some train services resumed operation following the complete shutdown on Thursday.
One major rail terminal, Euston Station, was briefly evacuated after what turned out to be a false alert, however, and transport police said that they expected further disruptions throughout the day with passengers and security services still nervous.
Wreaths were laid at King's Cross station.
One of the survivors of the blast, Mark Margolis, 29, was there with his wife to come to terms with what he endured.
"I don't know quite how I am going to deal with this," he said.
Prime Minister Tony Blair appeared determined to continue his summit with G8 leaders in Scotland, but was expected to return to the capital on Friday after the meeting's end to chair a meeting of a tight-knit crisis management team, known as Cobra.
He vowed to track down the perpetrators of Thursday's carnage.
(Excerpt) Read more at metimes.com ...
ping
have there been any sweeps to round-up the known islamic terror suspects to question them?
Although this is only speculation, the apparent fact that these devices were planted and not of the homocide/suicide bomber variety leads me to believe that al-Qaeda's tactics have become much more sophisticated. Couple this with an appropriate egress plan and all of a sudden the stakes have been raised: they can now attack and fight another day.
One other thought, does anyone find it strange that inspite of our (US and UK) Brobdingnagian-sized intelligence community and the fact that the overwhelming direction is toward terrorism that the IC was, once again, caught with its pants down? (Yeah, yeah, yeah. Small cells, insular, yadda, yadda, yadda. It still seems strange to me).
If they were organized and sophisticated they would have attacked the G8 summit with missiles.
Remote detonation is hardly a new concept.
Remote detonation under the (supposed) surveillance that they're under is. Also, which scenario inflicts more damage, killing a single head of state or raising the fears of the population through 'random' bombings during rush hour?
"I don't know quite how I am going to deal with this," he said.
Here's a suggestion Mark. Stop whining, join the British military and go hunting for your enemy.
Remote detonation during a time of reduced surveillance. Surveillance down because so many law enforcement officers and assets were protecting the G8.
Oh brother, why don't you go and get yerself a freakin' prayer rug already.
I don't think this is an indication of sophistication at all. One thing about the 9/11 attacks that hasn't received a lot of attention is that most of the terrorists on those planes apparently didn't know they were on suicide missions.
They've raised the age limit for prior service, Vet. I just filled out my SF 86. Join me?
Think the only surveillance and intelligence gathering is being done by LEOs? Yoda says, "naive, you are."
If I could pass the physical I'd go back since I only did 28 years. The mind is willing but the body isn't.
His enemies are those who are transforming a once decent city into a stinking, cultureless, blade-runner cesspool where terrorists find it easy to operate. Joining the British army won't help him, the British army is owned by his real enemies.
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