LONDON, 30 June 2007 — The specter of terrorism returned to central London yesterday when Scotland Yard officers successfully defused a “viable explosive device” planted in a metallic green-gray Mercedes saloon parked outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub in the Haymarket area near Piccadilly Circus packed with over 1,700 revelers.
Had the car bomb detonated, stressed Scotland Yard, it would have caused “carnage” and “serious loss of life and limb.”
A controlled explosion was carried out on the boot of the car, which it later transpired was packed with 60 liters of petrol, gas cylinders and thousands of bolts and nails, what is termed in terrorism jargon as “shipyard confetti.” Television footage of the car clearly showed a green propane gas canister labeled “Patio Gas” after it was removed from the car.
The car bomb was discovered almost by accident rather than through intelligence or a tip-off, when an ambulance crew, attending a sick woman at the nightclub, noticed “smoke or vapor” billowing from the car in the early hours of the morning. They immediately alerted the police.
At the same time, a nationwide manhunt got under way for the person who parked the car bomb, as police continue to sift through reels of CCTV of the area and as forensic scientists carry out tests on the car which was retrieved intact after bomb officers disabled the bomb manually with a small, controlled blast. Dozens of forensic officers examined the scene and the car was taken to the Forensic Explosives Laboratory in Kent for further tests.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of Scotland Yard’s counterterrorism command, said at a press conference that police would examine footage from the so-called “ring of steel” — a network of video cameras equipped with license plate recognition software. The cameras were put in place following a series of IRA bombing attacks in London in the 1990s, and to enforce London’s congestion charge.
The incident automatically triggered off a meeting of Cobra (the country’s top security committee), but Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who chairs Cobra, resisted a temptation to increase the current terrorism threat level of “severe” which has been in place since Aug. 14, 2006 to the highest “critical” level.
“We are currently facing the most serious and sustained threat to our security from international terrorism. This reinforces the need for the public to remain vigilant to the threat we face at all times,” she said.
The attempted car bomb in London and the deaths of three British soldiers in Basra in Iraq on Thursday has ensured a baptism of fire for new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who took office on Wednesday following the resignation of Tony Blair, and for his new Home Secretary Smith, the first woman to hold the office. Gordon Brown told the British people that “the first duty of a government is the security of the people and as the police and security services have said on so many occasions, we face a serious and continued security threat to our country. Vigilance must be maintained over the next few days.”
The car bomb attempt comes also a week before the second anniversary of the deadly July 7 suicide bombings on the London transport network that killed 52 people and the four bombers — all home-grown British Muslims — three of Pakistani descent and a Caribbean man.
Late yesterday afternoon, the West End of London was turned into a massive crime scene, where normally theatergoers, diners and clubbers would be preparing for a night of festivities and jollity. Police cordoned off Haymarket and closed Piccadilly Circus Station.
As if one incident was not enough, Park Lane (adjacent to the famous Hyde Park on the one side and the Dorchester Hotel on the other side) and Oxford Street were similarly closed to the public after police found a suspicious vehicle — an open-top bus — parked near a garage. It is not clear whether this had any links with the car bomb in the Haymarket.
Not surprisingly, police patrols in central London were stepped up “to provide a visible reassurance” to Londoners and tourists. Scotland Yard officers are also visiting licensed premises to reiterate ongoing crime prevention and safety advice. Police say the Haymarket area is likely to remain closed for some time and severe travel disruption is predicted.
Already there has been a heightened sense of alert among Londoners, with several incidents reported to the police, which have further brought the heart of the capital to a standstill. One West End businessman likened the incidents to economic terrorism. Although Scotland Yard was careful not to apportion blame to any group, security sources confirmed that “international elements” possibly linked to Al-Qaeda are believed to be involved.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Clarke stressed that, “it is obvious that if the device had detonated there could have been serious injury or loss of life. The threat from terrorism is real. It is here, enduring. Life must go on but we must all stay alert.”
Yesterday’s car bomb attempt has chilling echoes of previous failed plots in the UK. Only in April 2007, five British Muslims were jailed for a total of over 130 years for a bomb plot that targeted shopping centers and nightclubs with a giant fertilizer bomb.
The ringleader, Dhiren Barot was jailed earlier for life for conspiring to park limousines packed with gas canisters underneath high-profile buildings before detonating them. Another foiled Al-Qaeda plot in 2004 targeted the Ministry of Sound nightclub in Westminster.
Muslim organizations similarly urged people to be alert and to help the police find the failed bombers. The Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain, Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari, reminded British Muslims that “it is now a duty upon all the rest of us to help the police so that they can bring whoever was involved in this plot swiftly to justice.”
The pundits on terrorism are already speculating on the motives of the foiled bomb plot. Some were saying that the bombers could be trying to send a message to Gordon Brown to expedite the withdrawal of British troops in Iraq. They point to the similarity of the Haymarket car bomb with those in Baghdad. Others stressed that it is more likely the plot was planned by homegrown terrorists.
