London Emergency Services are now conducting a briefing on the attacks. Saying that the first attack was Morgate East. 7 confirmed fatalities. 21 at King's Cross at Russell Square. Edgware (3 trains):5 deaths. Tavistock: not able to confirm numbers. Four devices in today's attacks. No "good" claims of responsibility yet.
UPDATE I: Blast sites will be held as crime scenes and will disrupt service. I have heard that some buses are running now in some parts. The Emergency is asking as many commuters as possible to stagger their commutes home. Those outside of Central are asked to stay away. Tim O'Toole says that the Tube is now clear with no one still trapped below.
UPDATE II: I suppose that there will be speculation on the date. Clearly, the Olympics has nothing to do with them and I'm not so sure about the G8 summit. I think that this is a reaction to the re-election of Tony Blair.
The London Mayor, Ken Livingstone said this:
"I want to say one thing, specifically to the world today — this was not a terrorist attack against the mighty and the powerful, it was not aimed at presidents or prime ministers, it was aimed at ordinary, working-class Londoners, black and white, Muslim and Christian ... young and old … that isn't an ideology, it isn't even a perverted fate, it is an indiscriminate attempt at mass murder."
"They seek to divide London, they seek Londoners to turn against each other ... this city of London is the greatest in the world because everybody lives side by side in harmony. Londoners will not be divided by this cowardly attack."
Livingstone also had words specifically for the terrorists: "I know that you personally do not fear to give your own life in exchange to taking others ... but I know you do fear you may fail in your long-term objective to destroy our free society ... in the days that follow, look at our airports, look at our seaports and look at our railway stations ... you will see that people from the rest of Britain, people from around the world, will arrive in London to become Londoners, to fulfill their dream and achieve their potential … whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail."
U.S. terror level are being raised to Orange for trains only, which is probably just a gesture to assure nervous commuters and travelers. If there were to have been multi-city attacks, they would have happened already. Multi-city, multi-nation attacks would have been something altogether different than what we have witnessed.
Terorrist may come in one way, but someday they will flee in a thousand ways.
America and London will ever remain great
Posted by: Samuel Amos | July 11, 2005 at 07:43 AM