London tube explosions
So, what's this "bang" on the tube all about then? Anyone got any clearer idea than "either a bomb or a big crash"? And does this count as Sod's Law, coming the day after the Olympics announcement?
Update: BBC now reports "reports of an explosion", and says Transport for London are saying it's thanks to a power failure. Hmmm... "walking wounded" caused by a power failure?
Fuck: Explosions at Aldgate, Edgware Road, King's Cross, Old Street and Russell Square.
Unconfirmed rumours of 30 dead.
Piss - Russell Square may have been on a bus.
10:05am - Right - I'm calling this - terrorist attack. Sky News seems to be the only site working. I'm trawling for eyewitnesses.
"I saw lots of people running up a road and then saw the top of a bus destroyed," one eyewitness told Sky News.
LBC News radio is still reporting "power surges", but also advising "get away from the City, but don't use public transport".
10:15 - Eyewitness reports of "half the bus in the air" at Russell Square. BBC news site down. Radio still confused.
10:20 - FTSE dropping 3%, Pound dropping vs. the dollar. Reports of "at least one explosive device on the Underground". If you have TV access, ITV have rolling coverage, apparently.
10:24 - Scotland Yard confirm bus explosion on Tavistock Place nr Russell Square, and "multiple" explosions across London. Bus system shut down as well now. This is major.
10:26 - Rumours of two more bus explosions, plus suspect packages in litter bins.
10:33 - my mate who works in the City didn't go to work today, so no confirmation yet on rumours that they're evacuating the Square Mile.
10:36 - Reuters is down. Just before it went was reporting large areas of London being cordoned off. Apparently Sky News' helicopter is being prevented from filming over Russell Square. Helicopters everywhere though. More reports of "three busses".
More advice to "get out of the area", but no indication of where "the area" is - it seems to be the whole of Zone One (where I am).
10:40 - Sky has more on the Bus "ripped in two", plus
Bradley Anderson told Sky News that he was involved in the Edgware Road incident on a Circle line train.10:42 - Trains into London all halted. Marble Arch intersection (one of the busiest in central London for those who don't know) has been closed. Roads being shut everywhere. Still no real news on casualties. No confirmation on anything other than the bus blast from official sources yet.
He said: "We just left Paddington station. About 15 seconds later there was some kind of explosion and we collided with another train.
"We were heading into the station when there was some kind of explosion or something.
"Everything went black and we collided into some kind of oncoming train.
"There was debris all over the trains. They evacuated us."
10:46 - bus was apparently a southbound 205, from Euston (big mainline/tube intersection) - "packed" with people evacuated from the tube. Reports of bodies at Edgeware Road.
10:47 - People being stretchered off at Aldgate.
10:49 - Home Secretary Charles "Safety Elephant" Clarke speaking at Downing Street. He has nothing of use to add. Surprise, surprise. Sounds worried, though.
10:51 - Upper Woburn Place bus bomb as well, apparently. This is all over. London Ambulance Service getting overloaded - all units concentrating on explosions. Web straining...
10:53 - "Scores reported dead". Aldgate "pretty grim" according to a mate of a mate - loads of smoke. Here's how it looks (via Sky):
10:55 - Metropolitan Police say they'd tell us more if they knew what the hell was going on. Tony Blair to address the nation shortly. I'm rather glad I cycled to work today...
Unconfirmed reports of "a number" of dead at Russell Square.
10:59 - my overlords have just realised the office is half empty and are trying to find out where everyone is. On the ball here...
11:02 - BBC World Service is back up
British Telecom are apparently going to shut down all phone lines soon, so I may go offline without warning.
Controlled explosions apparently expected at Russell Square soon.
11:04 - reports of a bus explosion at South Kensington. Three minutes' walk away. Nice.
11:08 - Blair expected within half an hour from Gleneagles. THAT'll help. Cheers Tone.
Haven't seen a bus go by in half an hour or more. Everyone walking and looking a tad worried.
11:10 - eyewitness confirmation from a friend - the entire top of the bus in Russell Square has been ripped off. Packed with people evacuated from Euston. Cunning, abject bastards.
11:12 - Hearing rumours of Brighton and Swindon stations being hit as well. they've gone to the provinces. Fuck.
11:15 - The Guardian also liveblogging
11:17 -
11:18 - America's waking up to the news
11:25 - The BBC have eyewitness stories: "The doors opened and as everyone was starting to get off, I saw a few lights starting to flicker overhead and then there was an explosion on the opposite side to me, just behind the train that had just pulled in."
Now reports of 90 "casualties" from Aldgate East alone. Mostly stretchers, no idea how many dead.
11:32 - Photos. Reports of the army being deployed all over now. Quiet in Chelsea at the moment - bar the reports of a bomb on a bus up the road. Didn't hear anything, but South Ken cordoned off apparently.
11:49 - just popped out for a fag. Busses are still running where I am after all. Rather them than me... Two bombs on my route home, so I guess I'm stuck here for a while. Internet still up. Comments section seems to be having updates as well if it cuts out.
11:51 - reports of "many" people with limbs missing arriving at hospitals.
11:53 - At King's Cross, scene of one of the worst Underground disasters ever back in the late 1980s, people were using umbrellas to smash windows of the trains. 95 casualties and one confirmed fatality being reported from Aldgate East now.
11:58 - Email from an Israeli friend (Gaza strip) saying "Fuck". Which says something... Blair expected in the next couple of minutes.
12:01 - 2 confirmed deaths now, via the Met Police. Certain to rise. Could be worse than Madrid.
12:02 - Blair - "It's reasonably clear that there has been a series of terrorist attacks in London. It is my intention to leave the G8 to talk to police and emergency services personnel face to face... The G8 leaders will continue in my absence... Each of the countries around that table have some experience of terrorism... They all share our complete resolution for the defeat of terrorism. It is particularly barbaric that this has happened on the day people are meeting to try and help the problem of poverty in Africa... Just as it is reasonably clear that this is a terrorist attack... it is reasonably clear it has been timed to coincide with the opening of the G8... It is important, however, that the terrorists realise our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause the death and destruction of innocent people and impose their extremism on the world. It is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we have here in this country and in other civilised countries around the world."
Looked and sounded shaken. Not surprising really.
12:06 - we may be getting moved away from the windows here shortly, as there's a bus route outside, so I may be away from the computer. Will warn if so.
12:10 - via a Red Cross worker in the comments: "We have already deployed 10 ambulances in response to a request from the London Ambulance Service and another 14 are on standby across South Eastern Territory. Updates will be posted on RedRoom and the website."
12:12 - bus explosion may have been a suicide bomber, according to reports.
12:15 - rumours of Al Quaida caim of responsibility. Well, they would, wouldn't they? Twats.
12:20 - Tim Worstall has lots of links to more blog coverage if I get cut off.
12:25 - reports of trapped tube train at King's Cross, major rescue operation underway. Phone networks pretty much all screwed. Official advice - stay where you are.
12:29 -
12:31 - in the comments, a report of another explosion - this time in Leicester Square. About half a mile from Downing Street.
12:34 - from the comments: " Someone here at work has just been phoned by a guy he knows in Canary Wharf (I know, it's a bit removed - but I trust him)
"He says marines have shot a man there who they think to have been a suicide bomber"
Workmate's husband reports Cambridge Circus - slap bang in the heart of the West End - has been completely shut down. That's just north of Leicester Square, so explosion report there may have been a controlled one.
12:37 - Leicester Square rumour is nonsense.
12:42 - Soho seems to have been cordoned off to act as Army HQ. Have heard nothing from my mate who works for Sony there.
12:47 - South Kensington may just be a suspect package. Canary Wharf apparently calm - shooting rumour may be jus that - there's a lot of it about.
12:52 - Military are apparently denying all rumours they're involved. Purely a civilian thing - at the moment.
12:53 - Robin grant also liveblogging
12:54 - Charles Clarke statement in House of Commons: "Metropolitan Police are in operational command... The Underground is closed and will remain so for some time... There are no busses in central London... Airports are operating normally... The Prime Minister is returning to London."
12:58 - When the site's working, the BBC's coverage is pretty good - fewer sensationalist attempts at scoops, more facts. For a kind of BBC liveblog, try here.
13:01 - God, us Brits are great. Hardly any panic - more just getting pissed off that it's going to be a bugger getting home. I love this country sometimes.
13:04 From the comments, via Justin, the supposed Al Quaida statement:
Jamaat al-Tandheem Al-Sierri (secret organization group)
Organization of Qaeda't al-Jihad in Europe
In the name of God the most merciful...
Rejoice the nation of Islam, rejoice nation of Arabs, the time of revenge has come for the crusaders' Zionist British government.
As retaliation for the massacres which the British commit in Iraq and Afghanistan, the mujahideen have successfully done it this time in London.
And this is Britain now burning from fear and panic from the north to the south, from the east to the west.
We have warned the brutish governments and British nation many times.
And here we are, we have done what we have promised. We have done a military operation after heavy work and planning, which the mujahideen have done, and it has taken a long time to ensure the success of this operation.
And we still warn the government of Denmark and Italy, all the crusader governments, that they will have the same punishment if they do not pull their forces out of Iraq and Afghanistan.
So beware.
Thursday 7/7/2005
Jamaat al-Tandheem Al-Sierri (secret organization group)
Organization of al Qaeda't al-Jihad in Europe.
13:12 - From Tim Worstall's comments section, "Bart from Kansas" earns my "insensitive cunt of the day" award. From the comments here, "Roger" earns the "stupid fucking reaction of the day" award. Yeah - let's burn some mosques, Roger. Fucking GENIUS. Moron.
13:17 - from the comments, reports that Soho is NOT closed off. All normal.
13:18 - FTSE down 115. Traders being asked to calm the fuck down. Everyone else relaxed.
13:27 - Wikipedia's got loads. And some good analysis via email from Daniel Johnson:
A brief summation of where we seem to stand based on my attempt at rational thought:I'm off for some lunch (and a soothing pint) - back shortly.
First of all; it seems the new channels, in particular the BBC are reluctant to get involved here.. the BBC didn't even broadcast Tony Blair's 1pm statement with the G8 leaders. Blair, Hoon, Davis, the police etc seem to be focusing their energy on the PR front to comforting British residents. Our TV screens are filled with calm police officers offering directions and people calmly going about their business. We're not being told anything.
The mujahideen have accepted responsibility - a claim which I don't think holds weight at the moment.. it was inevitable that some small Far Eastern group would.. I'd wait for police reports and word from the government on this.
It also appears that nothing has actually happened since 11am. There are rumours of packages in Tottenham Court Road, the Royal Bank of Scotland hiding their staff in a basement, Soho being used as an Army base, explosions on the M25 (a weird one). Not wishing to tempt fate, but it seems quite possible that all of these could be rumours, much like the planes that were headed into Canary Wharf and Westminster on 9/11 - Somewhere between panick and misplaced excitement comes a million different rumours.
However there does seem to be a bit of a paradoxical thing happening. The broadcasters are holding back - reluctant to report news and instead focusing on reporting on the good work of the emergency services (from eye witness accounts and personally talking to people on the phone, the services are doing a great job and we should be incredibly proud). So they're very calm- but the public is spinning the rumour mill.. before long I'm sure we'll get IRA rumours, G8 rebels, etc- we should take comfort in the fact that the leaders of the free world are all together in a room, our emergency services are doing an amazing job - and the majority of scare-mongering rumours appear to be just that.
14:05 - I tell you what, if this is an "Islamic" terrorist attack, they're doing a piss-poor job. The pubs are all packed out, people sipping their pints happily, all a tad pissed off, but basically fine with it. Nice one, Al Quaeda - you profess to be from a teetotal religion, and you've given the pub trade a massive mid-week boost. Result.
14:12 - update on the "insensitive cunt of the day" award - a new winner - Mike from New York, in the comments to this post. What a twat. I'd kiindly suggest, Mike old bean, that you go fuck yourself.
14:17 - and, for the record, the anonymous comments purporting to be from celebrating Muslims appear to be coming from the same computer as that from which Mike was posting. Nice one, Mike, you tit.
14:21 - bomb in Tavistock Square bus in the upper back of the thing. Met Police refuse to confirm it was a suicide attack. Fucked-up pictures fo the damage here and here. Christ...
14:28 - I've still only heard 45 dead tops (via the untrustworthy/sensationalist Sky - BBC's last report I heard was 24). Lots more injured, but reports from hospitals suggest that despite earlier reports most are walking wounded. Could be a surprisingly low body count.
14:40 - more, from the comments and Guardian Newsblog - "Ambulance sources suggest 23 people have been killed at King's Cross, nine at Edgware road, seven at Aldgate, two at Russell Square. There are hundreds - possibly more than a thousand - injured."
14:42 - Slideshow of images. Worrying viewing - especially if you know and love this city well. But, at least in terms of death toll, so far we seem to have got off lightly.
14:53 - It all seems to have calmed down. For more blog coverage, check out the Kinja digest someone's set up.
14:58 - Victoria, Paddington and Euston stations have re-opened. Looks like King's Cross will be shut for a while.
15:05 - Now that it's calm, people are starting to head home... Not entirely sure what route I can take considering I go via South Kensington and Edgeware Road, but still - the joys of a bike, eh? Sidestreets and ignoring one-way systems ahoy!
15:12 - the people who were trapped underground at King's Cross are apparently just getting out now. No reports on any casualties. But that's six hours stuck down there. Bloody hell.
15:13 - King's Cross apparently to reopen for overland suburban services soon.
15:33 - Bus services beginning to return to central London, bar the King's Cross, Russell Square and Aldgate areas. Will be slow and crappy (no change there then...), with extra police etc. to help with directions and travel advice.
15:35 - Met Police press conference: casualty bureau has a technical fault, so no one has any ideas on numbers.
"At the moment we don't know if this was suicide bombers or just packages left... There is no indication that these were anything other than conventional explosives, but we have no indication of the size or type of device... [CCTV] has been one of our first priorities, as has collecting forensic evidence"
No people are left trapped underground.
"Almost all the system was cleared within an hour... We don't have any information [about bus bomb fatalities]... The security level in London has been high over recent months. We have had all the security services actively engaged in antiterrorism activities during this period... We are content that the security level was appropriate even not withstanding the fact that G8 was happening in Scotland."
15:40 - ctd: "We have 11,000 Metropolitan Police Officers on duty in Scotland and 31,000 in London. We have more than enough to cope... we won't be bringing any back [from g8]... London has always been a terrorist target, and we are clearly shocked by what has happened today, but we are not surprised... we have spent years rehearsing and planning for this scenario... that plan has worked exactly as it should have done"
15:42 - "we don't have any intelligence about any other devices... but we are making sure that the public transport system is thoroughly searched before opening for business"
15:45 - ctd: "As far as I am concerned, 'Islamic' and 'terrorism' do not go together... we have received no claims as to who is responsible, so it is too early to speculate."
"We have no reports of a police sniper shooting anybody today... We understand that a group claiming to be linked to Al Quaida have claimed responsibility on the internet, which we will be investigating, but we have no evidence yet that that is the case."
Reports of Heathrow Terminal 3 being evacuated (not via the news conference though).
15:49 - ctd: "We had no warning from any organisation"
"During rush hour we would be running 500 trains... around 600-900 people on them"
"We move around 3 million people a day"
15:51 - ctd: "People didn't panic... people just got on with it... I was impressed with just how calm people were in very, very traumatic circumstances"
We Brits rule.
16:01 - Casualty bureau is up and running - number is 0870 156 6344 - but try family and friends first to prevent overload.
16:05 - official figure is at least 33 dead.
16:15 - I'm going to follow police advice and head home. Should be back online in c.30-45 minutes, depending on road closures. I'll take the camera, but am going to try and avoid the affected areas as much as possible...
17:00 - back home. Lots of police sirens, little else. As normal. Brits rule.
An observation:
Liverpool St/Aldgate East/Moorgate was all the same incident.
- this is near Brick Lane, with a sizable Bangladeshi/Muslim community.
Edgeware Road
- the heart of a major Arab/Muslim community
King's Cross/Russell Square and Woburn Place
- by the King's Cross Estate, with a sizable Bangladeshi/Muslim community, plus the School of Oriental and African Studies, one of the world's leading universities for the study of Islam (amongst others)
Was this intended to stir up anti-Muslim tension as much as anything? Otherwise the locations are rather bizarre - King's Cross and Liverpool Street, as major rail termini, make sense if you intend to cause maximum damage/casualties. Edgeware Road is near Paddington, another major station, so that could make sense too. But nothing at Charing Cross, Victoria, Waterloo etc. Nothing at Heathrow or Gatwick either. Odd. Why go for half measures?
Either way, from the casualties so far we've got off lightly. Seems like fluke as much as anything.
17:21 - That bus really doesn't look good. Official casualties from all blasts is still only 33 though:
Shadow Home Secretary (and Tory leadership frontrunner) David Davis on BBC News points out that Identity Cards "don't prevent this sort of thing". Considering there was no warning, the police kept warning levels the same as they have been for a month, and no one yet know who was responsible (despite claims), he's got a very good point.
17:30 - Blair statement - "I've just attended a meeting of the government's emergency committee... there will be announcements as soon as possible... there will of course now be the most intense police and emergency service action to make sure we bring those responsible to justice. I would also like to pay tribute to the stoicism and resilience of the people of London, who have responded in a way that is typical of them... {The terrorists] are trying to use the slaughter of innocent people to cow us, to stop us from doing what we want to do... the should not and will not succeed... When they try to intimidate us they will not intimidate us. When they try to change our way of life it will not be changed. WHen they try to divide us they will not succeed and our resolve will hold firm... Our values will long outlast theirs. The purpose of terrorism is to terrorise people. And we will not be terrorised... THis is a very sad day for the British people, but we will hold true to the British way of life."
17:43 - a message to our sensible American friends (and others from around the world), many of whom are posting in the comments:
Cheers for the messages of support. London's grateful. And we're going to keep our heads. Stiff upper lip and all that - wouldn't do to get all emotional. Hardly British - and if we stop being British about it, the bastards have won. So we'll have a few beers, make as many sick jokes about it in pubs up and down the land as we can, and get on with our lives as normal. Other than causing the grief of too many innocent people, these cunts will have achieved precisely fuck all. We shall not be moved.
17:59 - I'd missed this - Eyewitness blogger account of the Edgeware blast.
18:10 - Police report - 37 confirmed dead, including two from the bus. 700 casualties total, "a number" in a severe condition, but "many" got to hospitals by themselves - so total is likely to rise, but no one knows by how much.
18:35 - Just heard that my Sharpener blog buddy Andrew was on the train behind the one hit at Liverpool Street, but is fine - and on his usual form:
"to the terrorist cunts who tried to kill me today:18:57 - Nice, BBC News special report cuts away to a weather report. Britain, as I believe I may have said a few times today, rules.
"Fuck you. You missed me. Better luck next time."
19:07 - discussions are underway for a "Fuck you, terrorist dicks" protest/show of solidarity, Madrid style, this weekend. I'll let you know more when we've finalised something.
Trains are running out of London from King's Cross and St Pancras. 4 trains an hour from Euston. Near normal service at Liverpool Street. Limited services at Paddington. 2 per hour London Bridge to Brighton. Near normal services at Charing Cross, Blackfriars, Marylebone, Victoria, Fenchurch Street (though the latter's worth avoiding).
Busses up and running, but major delays - many roads still closed. Gray's Inn, Caledonian, East Smithfield, Commercial Road, all approaches to Aldgate, M25 and M4 out of London are packed.
You can get home, if you've been waiting, but it may take a while.
19:16 - Just had an email request for details of how to give charity donations to help the victims. Nothing that I've heard of so far. I'd say give it to Oxfam or Make Poverty History - Londoners are fairly well-off. Bunk it to people who matter - the African buggers who were meant to be getting helped out at G8 today. The terrorist bastards have screwed them over more than they have us.
20:14 - Just spoke to my grandmother, a nurse in London throughout the Blitz. Though naturally worried about her grandson being in one of the prime targets, she's living proof that London has coped with worse than this. We refuse to give in to this sort of thing.
20:51 - Only just found this, but spot on.
21:46 - reports of seven people in intensive care in one London hospital - could be unconscious for days or weeks. Few reports of life-threatening injuries, many reports of lost limbs and emergency amputations.
22:00 - Third Avenue has a good world press roundup, while Yes But No But Yes rounds up blog reactions.
22:31 - The BBC, after a few splutters when the news site went down this morning, is doing brilliantly. Meanwhile, The Guardian has a handy reminder of why we're used to this shit. And here, for those who care, is an old post explaining why I'm used to this shit.
22:41 - The BBC's London radio station will be broadcasting throughout the night. Should have travel info for those of us trying to get to work tomorrow. The Beeb's London site also has more pictures.
23:20 - Nearly time for bed. All I ask is that we don't forget the others who have died today, from whom those bastard terrorists managed to distract our attention.
Find out more and donate
- don't let a bunch of psychos distract us from what really matters.
- don't let a bunch of psychos distract us from what really matters.
Thursday morning update from the Met Police (update: actually, it's Friday, isn't it? Lost track there somewhere...): 700 casualties, of which 350 were minor. 350 were taken to hospital, of which 100 were kept overnight, of which 22 are in a critical condition.
There are over 50 dead that they know of. There will be more, but thanks to the nature of the blasts on the bus and between Russell Square and King's Cross, it's difficult to count the bodies.
Final update: Sign up to the pledge to join a fuck you, terrorist dicks protest.
401 Comments:
The police say power surges. I'm not so sure - Sky News have just interviewed an eyewitness whose description of the casualties was terrible.
Radio 5: A cabbie has phoned in saying police have told him that 30 people are dead at Oldgate.
BBC News website is down - obviously been inundated.
You liveblogging this?
BBC News 24 are describing the bus as having "no top deck" and at least one death. There's talk of a bomb in a litter bin.
Radio 5: Scotland Yard confirm explosion on a bus at Tavistock Square near Russel Square.
The power surge story was obviously circulated to avoid panic but events have done for that cover story.
a bit suspicious with the whole G8 thing
Well I suppose that's going to dissolve the argument against ID cards then....
Yep... bit suss after the Olympic announcement yesterday as well...
Could get major this
from the guardian:
"One witness who had been in a train at the time of the explosions reported seeing "bodies everywhere" in the carriages and limbs lying in on the floor."
fuck.
Most news websites down now...anymore news
? Am at work...Oxford St, Manchester
BBC News 24: Police say there's going to be "a series of controlled explosions" around Russell Square soon.
News sites crapping out left, right and centre.
Who they pointing finger at? Always interesting to see which 'experts' are rolled out and who gets it most wrong
Working in Green Park - this is really useful, thanks...
AFP ticket still up: reporting not so much on blasts, more on markets, tumbling all over europe.
Fuck, I can't believe I am even asking this: regular explosives only right? We think?
The Guardian are liveblogging as well.
BBC News 24: Talk of a train crash at Kings Cross. Police say Tavistock Sq is *not* the major incident. Kings Cross is the major incident.
Jesus, is this really happening?
This looks worse than Madrid.
Fuck
At work in Mortimer St W1...National Grid have officially killed the power surge lie..rumour of CCRF callout i.e troops in Soho Square.
The news just started on France 3, and they're discussing a fire in southwestern france. Fuckers. Tell me more, what's on TV and radio.
Katie: there's a live video feed on the BBC.
Brighton railway station has been closed.
Same problem as election night: no fucking sound. I have the shittiest computer ever.
Swindon Station also being evacuated.
Provincial rail closures look to be for precautionary security checks - no reports that anywhere outside London has been hit.
In Germany the BBC World and Sky news feeds are still showing a there is "a technical problem with this channel" showing for BBC and Sky News - German News has a report on Fucking Angeline Jolie! Rai Uno Italia is taking the BBC feed and showing it though.
Thanks (in a perverse way) for liveblogging this.
speaking to brother in london... apparently bob crowe rmt union leader had been on tv blaming privatisation b4 extent and scope of attack realised...oh dear
Tony - statement due at 12 - Safety elephant due to speak at 12:15.
big round of applause for messrs. bush & blair I think...
Met thinks there have been 6 explosions - 5 on the Tube, 1 on a bus.
Official list of explosions
Aldgate East
Norgate
Russell Sq
Liverpool St
Edgware Rd
Kings Cross
Met asking media not to speculate!
BBC saying troops deployed in Charing Cross.
My husband works in a "sensitive" area in Birmingham and they have not been asked to evacuate, so I doubt this is nationwide.
I am sorry for all of you in London. All my thoughts with you.
following on http://www.met.police.uk/news_template.htm
Correction - Moorgate.
Shit! Five Live feed just wigged out
http://www-us.flickr.com/photos/bigdaddymerk/
BBC site down again
Just phoned a mate who lives 200 yards from Brighton Station - he definitely hasn't heard a bang.
I'm guessing the bus bomb was someone who was supposed to deliver to another underground. My god.
French TV finally showing footage. All the brits they're interviewing are very stoic and calm. I love how British people react to a real crisis. I'm so proud.
BBC News 24: "almost certainly" Al Qaeda.
"almost certainly the work of al-Qaeda" - from the BBC
damn, beat me to it
Bob Crow needs a good kicking for his comments on Sky News. Send him to me, I'll do it.
CNN reports that there are talks to bring counter-terrorism experts from Gleneagles, Scotland to assist with security
almost certainly the work of murderers...remove the cause, tell it like it is...notice how it is always the workers who get targetted?...twats
What has Bob Crowe been saying?
targeted
BBC radio say there was evidence of explosives being used at one of the sites
while the power surge theory was being circulated bob crowe had got himself on tv and was harping on about what you get with privatisation or something...p45's are us
Bus exploded at or near Russell square. People have been evacuated from Charring Cross out of London.
Passed on from one of my message board users:
"Vodafone are one of our major clients and this is part of an email we recieved
Due to the incidents across London today, Vodafone have invoked a procedure
whereby cellular bandwidth is prioritised to government and emergency
services.
You may well get a full signal but you may not be able to make/receive calls
or Blackberry messages during the course of today."
Call from Press colleague at Gleneagles, talk there suggests reports of dead are at 90, but are unconfirmed.
Mobile phone networks are shutting down because terrorist attacks in spain used bombs that were set off by mobile phones
One interesting point - former head of Met Anti-terrorist unit has admitted that its almost impossible to prevent this kind of attack.
BBC News online: At least one blast site has shown evidence of explosives, say police.
from bbc eyewitness:
"I was on the train that the "Bang" happened on. I must have been 2 -3 carriages down from where it originated. I would like to praise the people in my carriage and on the train as a whole for remaining calm despite the sense of fear everyone must have felt whne this happened. After waiting for maybe 15 minutes or more we were rescued by emergency services and had to walk the remainder of the way down the track to Aldgate station. There was twisted metal from the train laying on the track which we had to pass as well as injured people who needed urgent medical attention. The emergency services were doing an excellent job taking care of people and their response in general was superb. Bravo to them."
brits are great.
One interesting point - former head of Met Anti-terrorist unit has admitted that its almost impossible to prevent this kind of attack.
What rot. As we all know, ID Cards could have prevented this. That, or invading Iraq again.
Jesus Christ. This bus doesn't even look like a bus an more.
CNN doing a live feed.
First report from hospital - Royal London.
100 casualties in so far - 1 fatality, 10 critical, 7 serious.
Should note that in Tube incidents, the most critically injured are usually the last to be taken out, so figures may rise.
Stand by for Blair...
They're now saying 7 explosions...? BBC: "buses were packed. They'd been turning people away because the Tube was closed."
Tony - on now.
Ah, to live in bullet- and bombproof splendour, eh? Do what you like and the little people pay the bill. What a fucker.
Blair's 'dramatic pause' was built for days like today...
Tony - reasonably clear its a terrorist attack and timed to coincide with G8.
Will leave G8 to get reports - G8 to continue in absence Tony to return later tonight.
Just got off phone to friend. Police are boarding buses in Brum to check for devices. Dont know if they're just doing that to reasure people, but... who knows.
I lay this atrocity at Blair's door. If we weren't in Iraq on a lie would this have happened?
i work for the red cross, and just got this in a company email:
"We have already deployed 10 ambulances in response to a request from the London Ambulance Service and another 14 are on standby across South Eastern Territory. Updates will be posted on RedRoom and the website."
French TV finally reporting properly. Chirac has pledged total solidarity. What a difference a day makes.
bbc news: AQ apparently claiming responsibility
bbc news have just said theyve found a 200 word statement online from al qaeda admitting resposibility, wether its true or not is another thing
Anders
September 11th happened before Iraq.
Blair was in Gleneagles discussing Africa and climate change.
This butchery was carried out by a bunch of back hearted, brainwashed, monstrous slaughterers. Stop being so self-flagellating and know your enemy.
Police now speculating that the bus explosion was a suicide bomber.
Possible, I suppose, but then it wouldn't be the first time a bus has gone up due to a fuck up by a bomber either.
Nothing on Al Jazeera yet to suggest that AQ has officially claimed responsibility.
Bloody hell. I don't normally go into Central London, but I was there last night. Am safe at home today, but my mobile doesn't work - apparently the networks are being cleared for emergency use only.
I sincerely hope every one of them was a suicide bomber.
any other liveblogs on this issue?
not getting into blame game...don't know if buses being checked here in manchester but not much traffic at all in centre,however was quiet this morning also...
So, in response to the Blair comment about it coinciding with the opening of the G8, a french pundit just suggested it was a result of the olympic success, and that if Paris had won it would have been here. What a total solipsistic wanker.
AQ tend to claim responsibility in the most oblique manner and rarely do they do so quickly - although this has all their trademarks.
Katie's right. It couldn't have been Paris, this was clearly a planned and co-ordinated attack. Not something that was thrown together in 24 hours.
Very loose rumours about yet another blast at leicester square. anyone heard anything?
if you have IRC , join #london on irc.freenode.net
live updates
I'm not so far from Leicester Square, I've not heard any blasts.
Someone here at work has just been phoned by a guy he knows in Canary Wharf (I know, it's a bit removed - but I trust him)
He says marines have shot a man there who they think to have been a suicide bomber
blast in Leicester sq. on teh guardian news blog site...
also of ppl trapped on the underground at KingsX...
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/
ITV News: Police have said that londoners should stay at home and not travel.
I think he was speculating that two attacks had been planned and the final choice of which city was hit was made after the announcement. He was basing this entirely on the fact that the first attack took place at Aldgate, the olympic village stop. I'll try and find out who it was...
What's this seventh attack? They're talking about seven.
And what's going on with the "stay where you are" thing? Go home! Run home! Staying where you are kills!
A french eyewitness phoned in and was praising how sotic brits in her underground were.
The Guardian newsblog is now saying there wasn't an explosion at Leicester Sq. and all is calm.
from guardian blog:
Update Reader Rod Stanley emails in - he works near Leicester Square, and all is calm there. Thanks for that, Rod.
i'm running updates at www.projectnothing.com
e-mail me with anything you've got, and stay safe
http://www.newsquarechambers.co.uk/calculators/daycalculator.htm
been calculating dates, sept 11, madrid and that (am i daft?)...anyway dates do not stand out...good job G8 did not start yesterday with the square being packed...brits are best
"I lay this atrocity at Blair's door. If we weren't in Iraq on a lie would this have happened?"
...and if you'd just turned the other cheek in school the bully would have left you alone.
This just would have happend a few years from now when the islamists did it to de-stabliize you rather than in an attempt to defend themselves out of desperation.
My prayers go out to all who have been killed or injured. In case anyone wasn't convinced, these bastards want to kill us and must be dealt with harshly if they are to be beaten.
Good work on a great blog - amazing current info.
Be strong UK!!!
200 wounded now? Is that right?
The Safety Elephant's up next...
Katie:
The seven include two attacks in the vicinity of Russell Square - one on the tube and the bus in Tavistock Square which was carrying people away from Russell Sq tube.
I remember watching New Yorkers walkeing home on September 11th. Apparently the same thing in the city. The BBC's reporters' log thing is patently amazed by how calm the public are.
my brother is at lse...one of the bombs was on his route..i have spoken with him and have picked this up from lse website....pretty impressive...any other decent emergency procedures out there?
Please would students and staff text or phone their parents and families to confirm they are ok.
The main LSE switchboard number is very busy. A hotline number is +44 (0)20 7849 4900. Please leave your name and number and the details of who you are trying to reach here.
There is also an emergency email - July7thIncident@lse.ac.uk. You can email here if you have any problems reaching people by 'phone.
Sure anonymous at 12:43, let's go kick the shit out of some towelheads, that will solve the problem.
From Back to Iraq:
Today's blasts in London have been claimed by Al Qaeda's European chapter, Qaeda't al-Jihad in Europe. A statement has been posted on a site often used by Qaeda agents, www.qal3ata.com. The statement follows (translated by one of my staff here in Baghdad):
Jamaat al-Tandheem Al-Sierri (secret organization group)
Organization of Qaeda't al-Jihad in Europe
In the name of God the most merciful...
Rejoice the nation of Islam, rejoice nation of Arabs, the time of revenge has come for the crusaders' Zionist British government.
As retaliation for the massacres which the British commit in Iraq and Afghanistan, the mujahideen have successfully done it this time in London.
And this is Britain now burning from fear and panic from the north to the south, from the east to the west.
We have warned the brutish governments and British nation many times.
And here we are, we have done what we have promised. We have done a military operation after heavy work and planning, which the mujahideen have done, and it has taken a long time to ensure the success of this operation.
And we still warn the government of Denmark and Italy, all the crusader governments, that they will have the same punishment if they do not pull their forces out of Iraq and Afghanistan.
So beware.
Thursday 7/7/2005
Jamaat al-Tandheem Al-Sierri (secret organization group)
Organization of al Qaeda't al-Jihad in Europe.
Charles Clarke to make statement 13.15 BST
Charles Clarke to make a statement to the House of Commons at 1:15pm (BBC News 24)
Clarke up now...
was that the people's front of judea? bastards
Nothing new from Clarke - only confirmed three tube bombs and one bus bomb. TfL will decide on restarting Zone 1 bus services later on today.
"burning from fear and panic"
I don't know about you, but that's not what I am seeing. I am seeing people coping. I feel quite proud.
If any of those fuckers at Finsbury Park mosque are reading this. I hope you have fire extinguishers in the building, you are going to need them very shortly.
German TV just reported Polish government building in flames....
"If any of those fuckers at Finsbury Park mosque are reading this. I hope you have fire extinguishers in the building, you are going to need them very shortly"
I'm sure that will help you numb nuts, come back when you've grown a brain.
Roger:
Don't be a fucking twat.
The vast majority of the congrgation at Finsbury Park Mosque, and other mosques, are decent, honest and honourable people who will be as horrified by today's events as we all are.
Talking about revenge attacks just fuels the fires of the extremists.
Absolutely the last thing we need is fucking attack on a mosque, any mosque, as that will achieve is to drive people in the arms of the bastards responsible for this attack.
British bloggers take up the slack.
Roger
That is not what this country believes in. Do not stoop to the level of the slime that planned and executed this.
Roger:
Don't be a fucking twat.
Absolutely!
must confess i have NOT attacked my asian colleagues and also have NO plans to do so...am thinking that it is time for a responsible and accurate media for the foreseeable future
For fucks sake. Just like Catholics condemn the IRA, Muslims will condemn this. This is carried out by a small bunch of fanatics with a twisted view of their own religious superiority.
Rogers comment may be extreme - anger does that.
But why, oh why do we tolerate people who hate us living amongst us. We all know they're there, many of them are very open about it.
roger: it's people like you i'm most scared of -- i live near finsbury park mosque and i'm worried to go out in the street now in case there is some lunatic taking it into his head to make some lunatic retaliation like you suggest.
Just came back to the office from a walk through Soho. there's nothing out of the ordinary going on and soho sq. has not been closed off.
why do we tolerate people who hate us living amongst us...
good point...another one is why are they here if they do not like it? cannot suss that one out either...
Roger
If somebody firebombs the mosque today I just hope you're prepared for a long night spent in a small room talking to fucked-off special branch officers.
Arsehole.
Neil,
What's going on in Poland according to German TV?
more info please.
City traders switch off automatic trading systems to prevent excessive trading (these perform automated buys/sells when stocks hit certain price points or when particular movements take place)
Polish governement building was indeed in flames, but it seems it was caused rather by a careless repair worker than al-Qaeda.
Poland is mosty likely just lightning damage. - Personal report from warsaw.
They gave a short sentence with no details that in Poland and Hungary (also with troops in Iraq) there were reports of a government building in flames and a shopping centre in Budapest being evacuated, but nothing since....
I was in the NYC subways on 9/11 as the trains jerked to a stop every 15 seconds. When I finally got to my stop, I was furious that it had taken me so long to get to work...of course, then someone told me that it was okay for me to be late because a jet had just crashed into a building downtown.
I know a load of people out there in the world find it fashionable to hate Americans right now, but hopefully some of them will realize our people are not the sum of our foreign policy. I can assure you that millions of us are waking up to the news of the attacks in London, and millions of us wish we could be there to help.
Wikipedia has gone nova.
Thames Clippers
Due to the explosions in London today we are putting on free travel on the river on all of our boats. For more information please call us on 0870 781 5049
http://www.thamesclippers.com/
No "fear and panic" to be seen in Canary Wharf.
I know it is early days but when we get talk of one or two confirmed casualties is it possible that they and the suspected suicide bombers are one and the same?..
Having seen the pics of the damage, I'd expect more than one death from that bus. Looks like the device was at the rear of the top deck.
HM the Q has released a statement expressing shock and sympathy while praising the emergency services.
Some good news:
In light of events in London today, the National Blood Service would like to reassure the public that blood stocks are currently healthy and it will meet the demand for blood from hospitals if requested.
All blood donors who are due to give blood today should keep their appointments. Anyone wishing to give blood or who would like to know where their nearest blood collection session is should call 0845 7 711 711 or log on to www.blood.co.uk.
You Brits need to wise up. Of course this is the work of a few "extremist" muslims, and the majority are "peaceful" and will "condemn" the attacks, but that is all smoke and mirrors - DECEPTION.
They all send money and support, they will take over your country and make your dhimmitude formal.
Set an example and hang some Dune Coons from the tower gates!
Mike from NY
thanks for the updates!
until you Mike, I was under the impression that New Yorkers weren't quite as crap as other Americans. You do your city, your country and the human race a disservice with your existence.
Please correct that error.
hugs and kisses.
Just to add to the comments on the email, there are always lots of rumours flying around after these events, most of which turn out not to be true. I can remember the reports of a car bomb at the State Department on 9/11, for instance.
Mike for NY:
Either keep that crap to yourself or take it to the nearest online sewer that will tolerate it.
I've just heard an eyewitness account that a suicide bomber was shot at Canary Wharf... can anyone confirm?
text message from the Greater Manchester Police which reads as follows:
2NO OF EXPLOSIONS HAVE OCCURRED IN LONDON. THESE ARE CURRENTLY BEING INVESTIGATED - INCREASED VIGILANCE IS REQUESTED AS A PRECAUTION
Mike, I'm a New Yorker living in London. I saw the towers collapse on 9/11 and I saw the blood on the streets today, but I refuse to turn on a sizeable portion of British citizens simply because they might share the same religion or ethnicity as the attackers.
Shut up and stop giving the rest of us New Yorkers a bad name, you twat.
I think the Canary Wharf story is untrue. Of course we can't be sure but that rumour started over an hour ago and it's still not been reported by a reputable news source.
Also, having talked to people who work there- all seems calm.
Dan
Just reading on another site that the bus explosion may not have many casualties. Apparently the tops are quite light and flimsy to keep the overall weight of the bus down.
If that's the case, the top would have blown off immediately and the majority of the blast force would have escaped directly upward out the gaping hole and not be distributed around the bomb as intended.
This design may have saved many many lives.
Keep the reports coming folks for those of us who can't get to a TV.
24 confirmed dead now: weak source (policeman on the street and in Glasgow, but that's what they are being told at the mo)
"The vast majority of the congrgation at Finsbury Park Mosque, and other mosques, are decent, honest and honourable people who will be as horrified by today's events as we all are."
Your clever sarcasm cheered me up! I can tell it's sarcasm as I work near a mosque.
You know Mike, I sang your national anthem on Monday with my hand in my heart because I believe in what it stands for. I believe in your country, sometimes more than my own. It was my home for a long time, and I was there on 9/11.
I spend a large portion of my life defending the USA, explaining to my fellow europeans why people like you feel the way you do, that you're scared, and that you want to hang on to something tangible and easy rather than confront the ethereal greys of the world. I apologised for people like you. I thought I understood you.
Now something similar (albeit smaller scale) has happened to us, and this is how you respond. So don't expect people like me to try to understand you, try to help you, or try to stand up for you. Never again.
Truly Allah is merciful and greaet to smite you zionists even in your city!
Q
Kneejerk reactions are counterproductive, we all know that. Just as everyone has remained calm, we need to examine this with a cool head and react rationally. Mike, you just made an ass of yourself. Most Brits won't lose their heads over this. Any that do and attack muslims should face the full force of the law. Keeping our composure is the highest form of respect we can show for the victims and their friends and families. And as for the individuals taking the opportunity to attack those opposed to laws and regulations that are robbing us of our civil liberties, well, you shame yourselves.
After this attack are all the infidel Londoner's going to run to the nearest Mosque and pray to Allah for forgiveness?
Better yet, why not get it over with and institute Sharia Law in order to show tolerance to those who wish you dead.
is there still anti-global trouble in edinburgh/stirling or has this been knocked on the head?
Mike -
Cut the crap. Everybody with a brain knows that Muslims are against this type of thing, as they've been continuously speaking out against it, having countless protest marches against terrorist activities, forming their own taskforces to root out such extremists, cooperating on all fronts with the authorities in multiple countries, opening their mosques for investigators, not hindering investigations in any way, refraining from raising money supporting such groups, speaking praises on efforts to hunt down such extremists, passing out lollipops and kittens, and singing Kumbaya on an endless loop.
I live next door to the Finsbury Park mosque; if the mood in the streets when I get home tonight is anything other than sombre and depressed, I'll eat all the hats the wingnuts provide.
Mike in NY: you're a cunt, and I wish you'd died in the place of one of the innocent victims today.
Mike from NY:
One word - NORAID
Now shut the fuck up!
Met police now confirming four events:
Tavistock Sq bus bomb
L'pool St/Aldgate/Moorgate tube
Russell Sq/Kings X tube
Edgware tube
You have our condolences for these barbaric attacks on your citizenry. These monsters have no soul and have no conscience. Blowing up a bus…. They make me sick…
I love how Americans are viewed by the very minuscule amount of idiots that voice their opinion on the internet. If any of you have ever been to Middle America share it with your friends. They have no idea what America or Americans are really like. It is almost as if people use anything as a lens to focus their asinine pre-conceived notions even tighter than it were before.
Mike,
The kufr will kneel and bow his head to the sword
Q
I am collecting a list of informative links (without commenting on them) on my blog: www.aboutthisboy.co.uk/blog/ so please feel free to comment and add new links to help friends etc. http://www.aboutthisboy.co.uk/blog/2005/07/07/explosions-in-london/
>>> I can tell it's sarcasm as I work near a mosque.
Funny, I've worked with the congregations of Mosques and with those of Gurdwaras, Ashrams, Synagogues, Churches, etc.
And in all that time I've met nothing more than a whole of decent, honest people.
I wonder who has the more accurate opinion here...?
So George said to Tony. Well we are right behind you on this Tony, we'll bomb Teheran by Tea Time
Right as much as I would like to think that the bus blast looks worse than it is..
Have a look at this close up..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fgt/24238458/in/pool-74918957@N00/
:-(
And again:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigdaddymerk/24237683/in/pool-74918957@N00/
Oh shit.
Can I just note at this juncture that as this in the British blog talking about an attack in Britain in which British citizens have been killed and injured, the last thing that any of us Brits are going to appreciate is...
...fuckwit trolling from overseas.
Soul - I did live in middle america. And do love to tell people about the great people I met there. But people like Mike from NY make it a losing battle.
what fucks these people off most? people who won't bite or those they have polarised? as i have said, forget what cause they are fighting for..remove that and you have what they are...murderers...plain and simple..whatever colour etc
John W: Bloody hell. The BBC aren't showing anything like that.
Well said Unity. Nice call on NORAID by the way, having been on the receiving end of that funding for most of my life I can really appreciate its benefits. Oh and anon blogger, stop showing off your knowledge of Islamic terms, they still show you up for the bigoted bastard you are. Your actions would isolate an innocent community and give succour to the bastards that carried this out today.
A quarter of a century of Jihadist attacks against the West and yet, despite another attack upon innocent civilians, the surviving victims rise up to demand respect and tolerance be given to the very ideology which encourages such barbarism.
Appeasement has failed.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/czottmann/24235324/in/pool-74918957@N00/
Right some food for the trolls, follow the link you trolls and post on their with your palls.
For the sensible, anyone know where that photo was taken?
Condolences and sympathies from America.
Hope you get the bastards who did it and string them up.
Please don't feed the trolls.
I just wanted to thank you for all your great updates during the day.
I guess I lied. One thing more In response to some of the comments posted: please, I beg you all, most Americans aren't anywhere near as insane as some of the posters on this blog. After all, Muslims pray three times a day, and a lot of Americans would love that...
But seriously, speaking for myself (because that's the only person I can speak for) I respect Islamic faith and, in my experience, have found Muslims to be among the first to condemn terrorist activity of any kind, let alone Al Qaeda. I feel ridiculous even writing this message, but the fact that I have to write it is not ridiculous, it's terrifying. Islam does not equal terrorism, and the Americans who think so are a tiny minority.
And I'm from Kansas. KANSAS. Our New York friend knows that that hardly makes me your butter-milk liberal type.
Apparently there will be a major annoucement at 3pm which will hopefully shed some light on how we all get home tonight.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigdaddymerk/24233597/in/pool-74918957@N00/
Funking hell look at the blast damage on the wall, I think thats near the bus.
"Just reading on another site that the bus explosion may not have many casualties. Apparently the tops are quite light and flimsy to keep the overall weight of the bus down."
I think this might be true. When a double-decker whacks into a railway bridge, as it does regularly at Finsbury Park, the top just slices off. Sothere may only be 3 or 4 dead from the bus, rather than the 30 I'd feared.
The pictures are Tavistock Square
I am reading this site from Boston, and it is giving me a far better indication of what is happening in London and how people there are coping than any of our television networks.
Not everyone here thinks like Mike. Please know I am sickened by these atrocities, and am praying for the victims of these heinous crimes.
Thanks for keeping us informed -- excellent work under difficult circumstances, I'm sure. It was comforting just to have a steady stream of information, knowing it would be improved and refined as more became known. My condolences to any and all.
Can we just get back to reporting what's happening and stop slinging shit around?
Quote from Louisa Baldin on BBC news..
"The front of the BMA building is splattered with blood"
Fuck
Just to reassure some of our American visitors, we do know that wingnuts are very much in the minority over your side of the pond.
The Bus was a No. 30 from Hackney
The bus was a number 30 coming from hackney to marble arch, was hit at 10:45.
"For the sensible, anyone know where that photo was taken?"
Apparently it was near the BMA building.
yip sod the slanging..are we looking at a miracle here, number of fatalties wise?
The police have confirmed the explosion was in the top of the rear of the bus, but can't confirm if it was a suicide bommer.
Now I am no terrorist, but if it was me I'd sit in the middle on the bottom....just speculationg that last bit of course.
"If we are . . . going to be destroyed by [a] bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things--praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts--not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs."
--C.S. Lewis
People in London...
Have they closed the mobile phone network or not?
"despite another attack upon innocent civilians, the surviving victims rise up to demand respect and tolerance be given to the very ideology which encourages such barbarism."
I know. I saw an ITV clip this morning, interview of someone who was on one of the trains.
He was blaming the emergency services for not responding quick enough, said it was "almost a travesty".
Asked what he thought of "whomever" carried out the attacks, he said "Well speaking as a barrister, I wouldn't want to prejudge, but I pity them."
(Interviewer: "Pity"?) "Yes, pity. Anyone who could be driven to such cruelty deserves my pity".
And that, my British brothers, perfectly illustrates the problem. Screw pity, these bastards don't needs counseling, or to get in touch with their feelings, or more foriegn aid...
They need to be stopped, KILLED, and without mercy or hesitation. If not, they will do you. Bank on it.
Mike from NY
Mobile phones are working in London but the networks are pretty jammed, so it's hard to get a call through incoming or outgoing. Landlines and 'net access unaffected.
Can you switch off anonymous comments please
Texting people seems to be working fine- not to sure about calling.
someone post this mike twats i.p. address, i am sure we could find a use for it.
Mobile networks are up, but providers are giving priority to emergency services. Text messages seem to be the best way to get in touch with people
Not sure what to make of this...
Netanyahu Changed Plans Due to Warning
Yeah, I think the phones are down. Friend of mine's dad works in the MoD and said they ordered all phone networks to be taken down periodically to prevent any detonations, plus an awful lot of people ringing other people to check they're ok, so it's still not easy to phone people.
Are there any people who look Arabic on the streets?
And if so, how are people reacting to them?
In case anyone's missed this update from Nosemonkey...
14:17 - and, for the record, the anonymous comments purporting to be from celebrating Muslims appear to be coming from the same computer as that from which Mike was posting. Nice one, Mike, you tit.
Poons - the mobile phone networks are still up, but most of the capacity is being reserved for emergency calls. It was impossible to get through earlier, but I've been able to make some calls since (On Orange to another Orange phone. I've sent and received texts to T-Mobile as well)
Are there any people who look Arabic on the streets?
And if so, how are people reacting to them?
Same as usual I expect - we don't tend to go much for lynchings over here.
guardian:
1424 Suddenly, the terrible scale of today's attack becomes clear. Ambulance sources suggest 23 people have been killed at King's Cross, nine at Edgware road, seven at Aldgate, two at Russell Square. There are hundreds - possibly more than a thousand - injured.
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