Hackney, Shepherd's Bush, Warren Street
Those are the rumours so far. Warren Street smoke confirmed by an eyewitness friend of a friend so far. Updates to follow...
Bunch of cunting bastards.
Oval tube as well, apparently. Hackney Road is apparently a bus. Warren Street may be outside, Reuters reporting a nail bomb.
Shepherd's Bush not necessarily an explosion, just "a device".
If people have any information about today's incidents, they are urged to contact the confidential anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321.
13:52 - "Code Amber" official. Tube network being shut down. Sniffer dogs at Euston Square tube. Fire engines at University College Hospital, over the road from Euston Square, 30 seconds from Warren Street. One of the hospitals casualties from the bombings of the 7th were taken to.
The bus' windows were blown out, but no injuries, somehow. Apparently...
13:54 - eyewitness at Warren Street says it was on a train, Victoria Line. A small rucksack explosion, while the train was pulling into the station. No indication I've heard of north or southbound.
Perfect.co.uk liveblogging
14:00 - Oval eyewitness reports of a man dropping a bag on the train. Area around the station being cordoned off. 15-20 police vehicles being reported. Man ran onto the train, dumped the bag and ran off again, apparently.
14:03 - all we have so far is the bus (no casualties reported), smoke at Warren Street tube, smoke at Oval tube. Nail bomb reports at Warren Street still continuing. No confirmation.
14:06 - This sounds like amateur hour again. Shoddy little devices. One injury reported at Warren Street, but no indication of how bad.
Newslinkdump: ITV
BBC
Reuters (currently down)
Guardian
Guardian Newsblog liveblog
Blair has cancelled his agenda this afternoon. In an emergecny meeting with the Safety Elephant.
Hackney bus was a No.26, but it was a pathetic little explosion. Police have cordoned it off, but aren't approaching in case there's a larger device which failed to detonate. Windows blown out. Device on the upper deck.
14:13 - DLR is running, most of the rest of the tube network's a bit knackered.
Yay for cycling!
14:14 - more reports of the bomber at Oval being a fucking pussy, dumping his bag (big black rucksack) and legging it. These guys are pathetic. If you're going to blow us up at least have the guts to blow yourself up too.
14:16 - Sky reports that armed police have entered university College Hospital. But this is coming from Sky, so take it with a pinch of salt until the BBC confirm it.
14:19 - everything is rumour. It was only 40-50 minutes ago that the first reports came in. At this stage, believe nothing.
Warren Street people in chemical protection suits according to the Associated press, but - if true - likely to just be a precaution because of the lack of any serious explosion.
14:21 - unconfirmed reports of gunshots on the platform at Warren Street.
Believe nothing until it's on the BBC.
14:22 - looks like the mobile network's being shut down again.
14:23 - Blair statement at 15:00
14:24 - not too sure why I dashed back early from the pub now. Sounds fairly minor so far - more of a scare than anything. Copycats? Seems a pretty poor effort at mass death and destruction at any rate...
Andrew Ian Dodge also reporting (via Tim Worstall, who may or may not be liveblogging again)
14:28 - Scotland Yard have confirmed an "incident" at University College Hospital. Unconfirmed reports of an explosion inside the hospital buildings.
Yeah - THAT's brave, isn't it? Blow up the sick, doctors and nurses? Brilliant...
14:33 - Sky News seems to be working but you can't trust it for shit.
Looks like there are 3 or 4 suspects on the loose. No descriptions as of yet. The ones from Warren Street and Oval apparently fled out of the main station entrances, so will be on CCTV and won't get far. Fucking amateurs! What the pissing hell is the point, exactly? Paltry little explosions, don't even kill yourselves, and do it in the most heavily-filmed city in the world, where CCTV cameras cover pretty much every inch? What the hell are they playing at?
14:42 - two weeks ago we were asking "is this the best they can do?" Well, no answer to that one yet - but it appears it certainly wasn't their worst. This is - from currently available information - likely to go down in history as the most half-arsed terrorist attack ever.
14:47 - From Sky News - "Victoria Line train passenger Ivan McCracken told Sky News he spoke to an Italian man who witnessed an explosion just after the train arrived at the platform:
"He told me he had seen a man carrying a rucksack which suddenly exploded. It was a minor explosion but enough to blow open his rucksack. Everyone rushed from the carriage. People evacuated very quickly. There was no panic."
Claim of responsibility from some tinpot terror cell blathering on about "Britain quaking in fear" in T minus 5... 4... 3...
You'd think they would have learned by now.
14:54 - Tim Worstall confirms I'm not mad by suggesting what I've been thinking - this could be a far right BNP/National Front/Combat 18 piss-poor attempt to stir up more Islamophobia. It certainly has all the hallmarks - incompetence, nailbombs, running away like big girls... See my post saying the BNP have a lot to gain from last week.
I genuinely wouldn't put it past them.
15:00 - Blair expected any time, but he's likely too busy celebrating the Aussies being slaughtered in the Cricket. Which has carried on playing in London throughout this pathetic attack.
The BBC has some pictures of a few Londoners milling about going "you what?"
15:14 - Mobile network isn't shut down, as I've just made a call. Which would tend to suggest they aren't taking this too seriously.
15:17 - Blair should have been on by now. Still probably celebrating the cricket.
This has got to be a first - cricket more interesting than a terrorist attack.
15:20 - slight delay on this, but via Tim worstall and sky News, police looking for a six foot black or asian man near UCH. I suppose he could have been the BNP's DJ (remember that? Heh...), if not, perhaps it's just shoddy regular dicks.
15:25: Katie, Via email - "Neil, biochemist, says: "Okay, all the eyewitnesses on tv are talking about a sour smell. A "bad" batch of TATP will smoulder rather than explode and produce a sour smell and smoke...."
Hmmm... Hadn't heard the "sour smell" before now... Worrying again.
Also a man has been arrested at the Ministry of Defence, apparently...
15:28 - TATP is triacetone triperoxide, cheapo homebrew plastic explosive. Not so worried again now. Info: "First employed by Palestinian bomb makers, the highly unstable TATP — also known as the “Mother of Satan” — is difficult to detect by dogs and conventional hi-tech methods, such as nuclear quadrupole resonance."
15:33 - Blair/Clarke expected soon. TATP thing is entirely unconfirmed. BBC reporting dummy devices. I'd go with the BBC on this.
15:42 - Police are appealing for anyone with mobile phone images, pictures or video from any of the four sites to send in their images via a website.
Blair and Aussie PM John Howard holding press conference. Radio cutting out, so can't provide live coverage.
15:50 - gist of it - no casualties and the situation is under control. Sounds like early calls of amateurs were about right. Not sure about the reports via Robin of reporters being told to turn off cameras in Whitehall following that earlier arrest. Haven't heard anything definite from that way - anyone?
15:54 - From Daniel Johnson via email: "itv.. live footage of man being led away by police from whitehall. police pushing camera man away but he stays on the guy as they take him to the side and search him from top to bottom.
"'situation under control' but numerous asian people around Whitehall getting arrested, very interesting."
15:58 - I've heard some rumours from a few places now that at one of the other bomb sites there was a caucasian man seen with a smoking rucksack and then running from the scene. A contrast to the black/asian guy with wires hanging out of his pockets reported at UCH. Anyone know if there's any confirmation to the white guy rumours? Not unheard of for there to be white Muslims, obviously, but would be different...
Still, no one seems to fussed by this again, and the whole thing seems a bit of a damp squib. Whitehall situation still remains interesting though... Probably just precautions though.
16:00 - Reports of police searching people's bags on Tottenham Court Road. (For non-Londoners - this is the street that runs south from Warren Street Tube, towards Oxford Street.)
16:05 - police have officially ruled out any chemical weapons. Looks like they WERE just duds then.
16:16 - BBC handy summary of confirmed info:
Injuries: Reports vary between none and one minor.
Shepherd's Bush: Reports of small explosion but details unclear. Eyewitnesses reportedly see man run from scene. Large area cordoned off.
Oval: Man runs off train after a small bang as train reaches station, eyewitnesses reportedly say. Large area cordoned off. Police tests show no traces of chemical agents.
Warren Street: Witnesses report hearing bang at front of train, passengers running to back of train and evacuating at station. Large area cordoned off. Police tests show no traces of chemical agents.
Hackney Road: Windows of number 26 bus travelling from Waterloo to Hackney blown out by small blast. Large area cordoned off.
University College Hospital: Armed officers deployed for "incident". Large area cordoned off.
16:31 - Wikipedia's doing well again.
16:33 - One of the men being hunted is apparently "between 5 and 6 feet tall". That's helpful...
16:43 - Bloody hell - the traditional media are really into their blogs this time... - Financial Times blog roundup already! (link fixed)
16:48 - this is getting to the "move along, nothing to see here" stage.
Pah - back to the cricket. (Oh, and the job, obviously...) I'll keep an eye out for any more developments, but looks like this was a bit weak.
Only two suspects reported as being in custody that I'm aware of so far, though, so there's likely to be a couple still on the loose.
In summary? Amateurs.
15:55 - 39-5? what the fuck? That's almost as pathetic as these bombs.
17:02 - more reports of St Alban's station (north of London) being cordoned off. Also (in the comments) - " Something's up at Ludgate Hill. City Thameslink closed, St Paul's Churchyard closed, cops everywhere."
Hmmm... Have they tracked one of them down? The guy from the bus, maybe?
17:24 - still no more on that St Paul's thing. Probably nothing.
The sole injury was apparently an elderly woman at Warren Street, not one of the bombers as speculated, but she's doing OK.
So, you chuck a bomb that doesn't work properly, hurt a little old lady a bit, and then run away like a big girl - and we're meant to be scared? Pffft!
58 Comments:
Tony Blair cancels a trip. All tube lines closed. Eye-witnesses of guy with a rucksack (mind you the source is skynews). Here we go, let's hope everyone stays safe.
"Not a major incident yet" say police.
Rest of tube network still open, no reports of casualties.
Tube is shutting down like last week. From Guardian news site:
1351 It is now being reported that there was an attempted suicide bombing at Warren Street, but the bomb didn't go off properly. Some windows were blown out the bus at Hackney, it is reported. Scotland Yard says it is not treating this as a major incident, yet.
Radio 5: Windows blown out on the upper deck of a No 26 bus - Waterloo to Hackney - no reports of casualties.
Where do guardian get suicide bomber from? I've learned one thing in recent times- don't use the Guardian or Skynews as a source!
ITV seem on the ball, BBC a little lost and slow, C5 doing okay
The BBC are taking the "no speculation" tack so they're struggling to fill their space - unlike Sky.
1 Person injured at warren street
Dan said...
Where do guardian get suicide bomber from? I've learned one thing in recent times- don't use the Guardian or Skynews as a source!
Maybe the Guardian have noticed Dilpazier Aslam is taking a long lunch?
Is there more (or less) to this than meets the eye?
Hoax or incompetence?
More on the bus 'incident', just off the Reuters wires:
LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - An explosion blew out the
windows of a bus in the Hackney area of London on Thursday but
there were no reports of injuries, bus operator Stagecoach said.
"The driver heard a bang he believed came from the upper
desk of the bus. The windows were blown out. There are no
reports of any injuries," a Stagecoach spokesman said.
The No. 26 bus was travelling from Waterloo to Hackney in
the east of city. The incident occured in the Shoreditch area,
the spokesman said.
He said the structure of the bus was intact but some windows
were blown out.
To Londoners:
God Bless, our thoughts are with you. Hopefully only the detonators went off, thus leaving the human filth alive so that they can be caught, charged, and sentenced in a civilized manner.
Sean
Ames, IA USA
Armed police have entered a hospital near one of the stations ?? any other information on that ?
"Maybe the Guardian have noticed Dilpazier Aslam is taking a long lunch?"
haha.
ITV: "Armed police enter London hospital".
This is all bloody odd.
speculation: repeat of last weeks attack, but with a bad batch of explosives.
soru
No one is going to hoax with just detonators. It doesn't make sense. It sounds like an agreed statement to keep the public calm. It sounds like we are fairly lucky this time, with devices not going off.
As usual, its going to take time to work out rumour from fact.
Mortious- be careful with the rumours flying, it gets people very panicky, and it could often be the beginning of the silly rumour mill. Y'know, everyone goes a bit mad, "the queen was just seen running and screaming from Tottenham Court Road!" and "4 large planes seen flying into Tottenham Hale". It all gets a bit nuts.
I'm hoping that the whole story is 2 or 3 nobodies got on some trains and failed miserably.
Canary Wharf tube station has been shut down by police - probably just a precaution, no reported incident here.
I was just running off what the news has been saying.
Most likely the work of really sick people.
If they want to blow people up they should at least have the guts to blow themselves up too.
Cunting twatting losers.
In other news, ITV hand over to Rory Mcgrath...Weird.
bollocks to this i'm not coming down to london for a while..i'm staying opp north where its cold.
Here's an interesting one...posted by Reuters at 13.24. Still no reports or confirmations of any casualties, and I'm able to view all of the major news wires.
Armed police enter central London hospital
LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - Armed police entered a hospital
near Warren Street underground station in central London on
Thursday and police immediately cordoned off the building.
"Three armed policemen just ran into the major incident area
entrance of University College Hospital," Reuters correspondent
Gerard Wynn said from the scene.
"The hospital has now been cordoned off," he added.
Earlier, emergency services rushed to three underground
stations after reports of explosions.
Tony Blair Churchill to address the nation at 3pm.
Possibly the polis reckon the culprit was injured in the blast and is in hospital. Right?
Yippee. More faux-Churchillian with... massive... pauses from the Beloved Leader.
Small explosions... hmmm.. Is anyone thinking what I am thinking? I hope these loons are the clueless loon wanabe type.
If the culprit blew his hand off then decided to visit the hospital, then I can't wait to see the words Nosemonkey chooses to describe the "terrorist" with.
Reuters now reporting that the London police chief says there were 4 explosions or "attempted" explosions. Also says "bombs appeared to be smaller than two weeks ago, casualties light". No explanation of what is meant by "casualties light" yet, unfortunately.
I certainly hope "light" means "none", but so far it does look very amateurish.
Ian Blair says incidents are serious. Whitehall sealed off.
what's this about westminster tube being closed (as bbc reported)
I just went westminster-southwark about half an hour ago... a few sirens round whitehall, but bugger all around the tube
bastards trying to distract us from bowling the aussies out for 190.
it might be the aussies?
thisislondon.co.uk has this terrorfying witness statement..
""People ran and left their shoes and belongings when they smelt the burning," Mr Mohellavi said."
How's that work? 'Arghhh there's burning! There's burning!!!.. everybody take off your shoes and run!!!!'
Nosemonkey says it all, stating that this could, quite possibly and most hopefully be one of the weakest terrorist attacks in history, but may give us reason yet to invade small nations which we can't pronounce...
dan
At this point, the only report of an injury is from Warren Street, and BBC reports that "There were reports the injured person may have been holding a rucksack containing the detonator."
Unconfirmed, of course, but methinks this individual should consider another line of work. He's just not cutting it in his position as Mobile Self-Detonation Specialist (Trainee).
I'm not going to put this in the main post, just in case there are actually any serious injuries/fatalities which haven't been reported yet, but I have to say I'm finding this fucking hilarious. Utterly, utterly useless bastards. My gran could kill more people than these dicks.
I have this image of the wanabee in a bed at UCH looking up at a group of armed police (about a 100 of them) ala the end of The Blues Brothers.......
Oh how I laugh at your comment Nosemonkey, but these pranksters or whatever, they really are fucking useless aren't they?
Who do we know as a group of incompetent dicks who would like there to be an increase in hatred and violence aginst muslims?
In unrelated matters, isn’t Nick Griffin on trial today?
Biological? Any of you Londoners feeling flulike?
Australia all out for 190.
Whats going on with the world?
Just a thought: What if they were just showing off their strength? They could make things go bang in central London just as easy as the last time.
Tony Blair has announced that Great Britain is to invade the United Kingdom in a bid to rid it of the evil ideology which is sweeping the nation.
Muslims in Leeds are likely to be targeted, along with all far right supporters across the nation. All extreme muslims as well as the far right whites will be eradicated.
In other news, there's a fascinating gardening show on BBC2..
...well, the river Tiber only appears to be foaming with a little itsy bit of blood today.
//OT - appears to have been an arrest of some sort (BBC)
"cricket more interesting than terrorist attack" - it must be shit if it's made cricket interesting.
I'm off to a hospital appntmnt. Stay safe everyone.
bbc reporting them as 'dummy explosions' so was this to prove a point, about security a la the daily mirror, or were they just too retarded to do it properly?
Armed police have wrestled suspected terrorist to ground near Downing Street.
"14:54 - Tim Worstall confirms I'm not mad by suggesting what I've been thinking - this could be a far right BNP/National Front/Combat 18 piss-poor attempt to stir up more Islamophobia. "
Oh please.
Has the sound to me of copycats thinking it's all very easy, then discovering otherwise. One report on BBC (I think) from an eyewitness at Shepherd's Bush said a guy just threw a bag onto the train and then ran off. So, not really understanding the whole 'inconspicuous' part of it.
Perfect sez the chap was arrested and "taken to Richmond House". Richmond House is the Department of Health! Sounds pretty damn imperfect to me..
Diversionary tactics to move police away from something more serious in Whitehall? Don't seem to have worked.
Nice coverage here. Good to see that British blogs are all over this instantly. I was getting a live report via IM from near Shepherd's Bush right after the "incident" there. This is when blogs come into their own.
Nice to see that this is so important and gripping that the BBC have decided to show the scheduled kids programmes- looks like the worst these wannabes did was make me miss Neighbours...
people should be more concerned by the fact that we're 19-4... :(
Interesting commentary on Wikipedia....
Impact on public transport
All other lines are operating as they were before the incidents. We are going to kill Tony Blair.
If this trend continues, who knwos what will happen next? Flash forward to two weeks from now:
Pint glass shattered in terror blast
LONDON (Reuters) - London is reeling in panic after a terror blast reportedly shattered a pint glass at the Angel in the Field pub on Marlyebone High Street. Police cordoned off the end of the bar where the blast occurred, temporarily forcing three customers to relocated to a table.
Pubgoers contradicted the police report, saying the glass was merely cracked, not shattered. One eyewitness, who only identified himself as "Nosemonkey", choked back the tears as he said "the glass had only just been topped off--it was a FULL PINT, dammit! The glass wasn't actually broken, but the entire pint was lost. LONDON WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS!"
" Radio 5: Windows blown out on the upper deck of a No 26 bus - Waterloo to Hackney - no reports of casualties."
Apparently not say Plod on the spot to ITN
Curiously amateur attempt but Ian Blair says ... "The explosions were pretty close to being simultaneous but it will be some time before we establish that"
BBC 6.00 pm News Radio 4 saying construction of the devices seems almost the same as the one's last week.
Re: "Pint glass shattered in terror blast" from Eric S in Washington.
Looks as though the Yanks have finally sussed our sense of humour! They'll be drinking tea next!
This is - from currently available information - likely to go down in history as the most half-arsed terrorist attack ever.
I don't know about that. That clown with the exploding shoes in late 2001 still holds the belt in that division, wouldn't you say?
Well they seem to be suggesting they have stopped 6 such attempts to blow up Londoners. This is nothing new...
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