Car bombs come to London

Police were last night hunting a suspected al-Qaida-inspired terrorist cell after the discovery of two “Iraqi style” car bombs, which UK officials said were designed to cause mass murder. One was outside a London nightclub, and a second nearby.

Only luck and probable faults in the bombs’ construction meant that the first device, inside a metallic green Mercedes, could be disarmed, while the second, in a blue Mercedes 280E, failed to explode. Police say both were capable of causing severe casualties and were intended to have been detonated remotely, most likely by a mobile phone.

Counter-terrorism officials said the first device – made up of 60 litres of petrol, several propane gas cylinders, nails and a detonation mechanism – was similar to those used by al-Qaida in Iraq.

The second car, containing similar lethal materials, was given a parking ticket at 2.30am before being towed to a car park in Park Lane, central London

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Posted in * Economics, Politics, Terrorism

4 comments on “Car bombs come to London

  1. Cousin Vinnie says:

    Islamists? Noooooo! What are the odds?

  2. D Hamilton says:

    If Americans get to the point of fearing walking across the Mall or Grocery Store parking lot because of car bombs loosed by Islamic terrorists – it will get ugly, real ugly, real real ugly and in a hurry. Too many people with minimal impulse control and well armed to boot will force Federal action because of crimes directed at [i](for the vast part completely innocent)[/i] Muslims and others. And the leadership being elected post car-bomb-spree will not reflect a kinder gentler America.

    We have it easy …. it can get worse …. keep those suvelliance systems working, President Bush …. they are saving us from ourselves.

    D

  3. Anselmic says:

    The fact that the second car was given a parking ticket and impounded tells you a lot about the British Spirit! If MI5 were as vigilant as out traffic wardens the world would be a serious place.

    Joking aside when I left London to work in a country with known Al Qaeda sympathisers friends and family were concerned for my safety. My response was that I was likely to be safer from terrorism out of London (I used to work in Victoria) than in it. Sadly July 7th has shown that to be true. Increasingly we live in a world without borders and terrorisn (homegrown) and imported) is likely to be with us for a long time to come.

    Here in the Philippines we are praying for the safe release of a Catholic priest taken hostage by suspected Islamic militants over 2 weeks ago. His name is Fr Bossi. More info here

  4. Pageantmaster Ù† says:

    4. We have a further related incident at Glasgow airport. So far we have been well served by police and security services using the skills they have built up in other troubles. We can only pray.