<font size="5"><center>Car bombs come to London</font size>
<font size="4">· 'Iraqi-style' device defused outside club
· Second explosive found nearby
· Massive hunt for culprits </font size></center>
Vikram Dodd Richard Norton-Taylor
Saturday June 30, 2007
The Guardian
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.
Scotland Yard said the attempted attacks were linked. Counter-terrorism officials were last night fearful of further attacks, and were candid about the limits of how much they could know about the scale of the threat.
Opinions among senior figures who talked to the Guardian ranged from hope that the attack was limited to the two car bombs, to a real fear that more attempts could be on the way. One was clear: "We are very worried. This was a deadly serious attempt." Another said: "We can only guess at the intent and scale [of the terrorists]. We are having to guess."
MI5 cancelled leave for its frontline staff and security was stepped up at "iconic targets", with uniformed police patrols also increased. Security plans for weekend events from Wimbledon to a Gay Pride march in London were under review.
The discovery of the devices was a first test for Gordon Brown's government, particularly the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, who was only appointed on Thursday.
The hunt for the terrorists was active on several fronts last night. Forensic experts were combing both cars for clues to where the cylinders and petrol had been bought. CCTV from the area where they were found - near Piccadilly Circus - was being examined. The first car was left outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub on Haymarket. The second was parked round the corner in Cockspur Street near Trafalgar Square, and was towed to the car pound at about 3.30am.
Police sources say investigations on the first car bomb led detectives to realise at 1pm yesterday that there was a strong link between the two vehicles. Late last night Scotland Yard sources said that the two cars had been loaded with explosive material designed to attack central London, between 1am and 2am as clubs emptied and revellers thronged the street.
Britain's threat level remained at "severe general". A meeting of the government's emergency committee Cobra was held and Mr Brown was being kept in close touch with developments.
The security services and police have been trying to increase the intelligence they have about extremists, but yesterday's attempts were "off the radar".
"There is no intelligence whatsoever that we were going to be attacked in this way," said the national counter-terrorism coordinator, deputy assistant commissioner Peter Clarke. He praised the courage of the bomb squad officers who made the first device safe, adding: "It is obvious that if the device had detonated, there could have been significant injury or loss of life. We are doing absolutely everything we can in our power to keep the public safe. The threat from terrorism is real. It is here and enduring. Life must go on but we must all stay alert to the threat as we go on with our lives."
At a second press conference Mr Clarke said both cars had gas cylinders, petrol and nails and added: "The vehicles are clearly linked."
The attempted bombings bore strong similarities to two al-Qaida plots that have been stopped by police and British security services. The type of target, a nightclub, was similar to those chosen by five men jailed in April for an al-Qaida directed plot. One of their targets was London's Ministry of Sound nightclub.
The tactic of packing cars with gas cylinders was similar to that considered by Dhiren Barot, who was convicted last November of a mass murder plot.
Senior police and Whitehall sources believed the attempted plan to inflict mass murder on the capital was the work of al-Qaida or those inspired by its ideology.
"You only have to read past cases of those convicted for terrorism to realise they have been plotting to blow up nightclubs and putting gas cylinder bombs in cars," said a source.
The first device was discovered by chance just after 1am yesterday. An ambulance crew called to Tiger Tiger saw what they thought was smoke coming from the car. In fact it may well have been vapour from the gas cylinders. One Whitehall counter-terrorism official said: "It's as close as you would want to come. It's one that got through. It was a live viable device, and about to go."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,2115451,00.html
<font size="4">· 'Iraqi-style' device defused outside club
· Second explosive found nearby
· Massive hunt for culprits </font size></center>
Vikram Dodd Richard Norton-Taylor
Saturday June 30, 2007
The Guardian
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.
Scotland Yard said the attempted attacks were linked. Counter-terrorism officials were last night fearful of further attacks, and were candid about the limits of how much they could know about the scale of the threat.
Opinions among senior figures who talked to the Guardian ranged from hope that the attack was limited to the two car bombs, to a real fear that more attempts could be on the way. One was clear: "We are very worried. This was a deadly serious attempt." Another said: "We can only guess at the intent and scale [of the terrorists]. We are having to guess."
MI5 cancelled leave for its frontline staff and security was stepped up at "iconic targets", with uniformed police patrols also increased. Security plans for weekend events from Wimbledon to a Gay Pride march in London were under review.
The discovery of the devices was a first test for Gordon Brown's government, particularly the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, who was only appointed on Thursday.
The hunt for the terrorists was active on several fronts last night. Forensic experts were combing both cars for clues to where the cylinders and petrol had been bought. CCTV from the area where they were found - near Piccadilly Circus - was being examined. The first car was left outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub on Haymarket. The second was parked round the corner in Cockspur Street near Trafalgar Square, and was towed to the car pound at about 3.30am.
Police sources say investigations on the first car bomb led detectives to realise at 1pm yesterday that there was a strong link between the two vehicles. Late last night Scotland Yard sources said that the two cars had been loaded with explosive material designed to attack central London, between 1am and 2am as clubs emptied and revellers thronged the street.
Britain's threat level remained at "severe general". A meeting of the government's emergency committee Cobra was held and Mr Brown was being kept in close touch with developments.
The security services and police have been trying to increase the intelligence they have about extremists, but yesterday's attempts were "off the radar".
"There is no intelligence whatsoever that we were going to be attacked in this way," said the national counter-terrorism coordinator, deputy assistant commissioner Peter Clarke. He praised the courage of the bomb squad officers who made the first device safe, adding: "It is obvious that if the device had detonated, there could have been significant injury or loss of life. We are doing absolutely everything we can in our power to keep the public safe. The threat from terrorism is real. It is here and enduring. Life must go on but we must all stay alert to the threat as we go on with our lives."
At a second press conference Mr Clarke said both cars had gas cylinders, petrol and nails and added: "The vehicles are clearly linked."
The attempted bombings bore strong similarities to two al-Qaida plots that have been stopped by police and British security services. The type of target, a nightclub, was similar to those chosen by five men jailed in April for an al-Qaida directed plot. One of their targets was London's Ministry of Sound nightclub.
The tactic of packing cars with gas cylinders was similar to that considered by Dhiren Barot, who was convicted last November of a mass murder plot.
Senior police and Whitehall sources believed the attempted plan to inflict mass murder on the capital was the work of al-Qaida or those inspired by its ideology.
"You only have to read past cases of those convicted for terrorism to realise they have been plotting to blow up nightclubs and putting gas cylinder bombs in cars," said a source.
The first device was discovered by chance just after 1am yesterday. An ambulance crew called to Tiger Tiger saw what they thought was smoke coming from the car. In fact it may well have been vapour from the gas cylinders. One Whitehall counter-terrorism official said: "It's as close as you would want to come. It's one that got through. It was a live viable device, and about to go."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,2115451,00.html
