LONDON, 23 July 2005 — Armed plainclothes police shot dead a suspected bomber on a Northern Line tube train at Stockwell station at about 10 yesterday morning, as the hunt for four men who planted Thursday’s bombs at Shepherd’s Bush, the Oval and Warren Street stations and on a No. 26 bus in Hackney Road intensified. Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is at his country residence Chequers for the weekend, is being kept informed on a need-to-know basis.
It now appears that the bombs were similar to the home-made explosives found in a bomb factory in Leeds a few days ago, and which for some reason failed to explode and were only partially detonated. Lady Luck this time, it seems, has been on the side of London in the last 24 hours or so. The failed explosions were also a Godsend to the police. With the explosives largely intact, police experts can lift DNA, finger prints and other forensic information from the device.
The explosives are of the same type used by shoe bomber Richard Reid and by the four 7/7 suicide bombers. Explosives experts suggest that the compound used is highly volatile and has a short shelf-life of about two weeks. It may have degraded assuming it was made at the time of the 7/7 attacks. It is possible the bombers used this type of explosives because it was the only type that they had access to. Experts warn that Al-Qaeda and its associates always like to spring a surprise. As such it is not clear what modus operandi they would use in the next attack.
One security source stressed that this may have been the work of an independent copycat cell separate to the 7/7 bombers, but loosely connected to the Al-Qaeda network.
Police confirmed that the dead man, described by a tube passenger eyewitness to the shooting as “an Asian guy, largish with a baseball cap dressed in a heavy coat unusual for this humid weather”, was not one of the four suspects involved in Thursday’s bombings. “This was an intelligence-led incident, and is linked to the current anti-terrorist operation,” declared Sir Ian Blair, Metropolitan Police commissioner.
“The man was challenged and he refused to obey police instructions. He ran into Stockwell station. A man was shot inside the station at approximately 10 a.m. and was announced dead at the scene. Any death is deeply regrettable. Police officers are facing previously unknown threats and dangers. I must emphasize that we are targeting criminals and not any particular group or community. This is the greatest ever operational challenge faced by the Metropolitan Police force,” he added.
As in all cases of police shootings, the incident will be investigated by the Independent Police Commission. Stockwell station is now a crime scene and will be closed for some time as forensic experts gather evidence.
Mark Whitby, who sat five yards from the scene of the shooting on the train, explained that an Asian guy ran onto the train which was standing at the platform and was pursued by three plainclothes police. “He half tripped, and was half pushed by the three policemen. He did not appear to have a gun or any weapon. One of the police officers was holding a black automatic pistol in his left hand. He held the gun down to the man on the floor and discharged the pistol. I heard five shots,” he added.
With the advent of suicide bombers, police guidelines in the use of firearms have changed. The Metropolitan Police’s Anti-Terrorist Branch, SO13, under its Operation Kratos guidelines, are operating a “shoot-to-kill” policy in extreme cases involving suspected suicide bombers where the instructions are to shoot at the suspect’s head. Armed police would normally aim at the chest. But experience in Israel has shown that suicide bombers who are shot in the chest can still trigger explosives.
Police released new CCTV images of the four suspected bombers — all Asian or Middle Eastern looking — and have once again appealed to the public for information and help in identifying the images. The quality of the CCTV images and the detailed descriptions of the would-be bombers from eyewitnesses has been very impressive and suggests that the policy of engagement with the London public is paying dividends.
In the central English city of Birmingham, police evacuated a train station while arresting a man there under anti-terror laws. Police said explosives officers were dealing with two suspect suitcases during the operation at Snow Hill station, the second biggest station in the city where 20,000 people were evacuated earlier this month amid a terror threat.
