Australia's High Commissioner in London Richard Alston believes bombs in the city are most likely the work of anti-globalisation 'anarchists' to coincide with the Group of Eight summit meeting in Scotland.
Alston points finger at 'anarchists'
Jul 08 06:21
AAP
Australia's High Commissioner in London Richard Alston believes bombs in the city are most likely the work of anti-globalisation 'anarchists' to coincide with the Group of Eight summit meeting in Scotland.
Alston played down claims from the little-known Secret Group of al-Qaeda's Jihad in Europe that it was responsible for the four blasts that have killed at least 40 commuters.
The leaders of the world's eight richest countries are meeting at the Scottish resort of Gleneagles.
"Everyone is speculating about the possible source of this," he said.
"If this was done to coincide with Gleneagles then it's more likely to be a more narrow group of anti-globalisation protesters or anarchists who seem to take great delight in disrupting meetings of international leaders."
Three blasts on the London underground train service and one on a double decker bus rocked the capital at peak hour this morning, crippling the transport system and the city.
At least 33 people have been confirmed dead.
Australian consular staff are at St Mary's Hospital and the Royal London Hospital and plan to attend other major hospitals in London in the search for any Australian victims.
"We've been doing our best to make contact with the hospitals, it seems to be a bit early for them to be able to give us any useful intelligence," Alston said.
"We've been liaising with all the emergency organisations.
"There's not much more we can do except monitor the situation and over time we expect the hospitals to be able to give us something more meaningful."
Alston said the 'terrorists' may have targeted London while a major security operation was protecting world leaders, including US President George Bush, at Gleneagles.
"People in London have always been of the view that something was bound to happen here," he said.
"As we know there have been a few near misses ... which is a tribute to security here.
"Maybe one reason why they didn't directly target Gleneagles and took the soft option to come to London when everyone's attention was elsewhere."
He said Australia would back Britain in its fight against 'terror'.
"I don't think there's any doubt at all the British government will be resolute and determined and we'll be 110 per cent behind them and I'm sure the British people will be as well," Alston said.
"If these things are designed to intimidate and cower, then they simply don't work."
People unable to make contact with Australians in London who they believe may have been up in the incidents can contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra on 1300 555 135.
Jul 08 06:21
AAP
Australia's High Commissioner in London Richard Alston believes bombs in the city are most likely the work of anti-globalisation 'anarchists' to coincide with the Group of Eight summit meeting in Scotland.
Alston played down claims from the little-known Secret Group of al-Qaeda's Jihad in Europe that it was responsible for the four blasts that have killed at least 40 commuters.
The leaders of the world's eight richest countries are meeting at the Scottish resort of Gleneagles.
"Everyone is speculating about the possible source of this," he said.
"If this was done to coincide with Gleneagles then it's more likely to be a more narrow group of anti-globalisation protesters or anarchists who seem to take great delight in disrupting meetings of international leaders."
Three blasts on the London underground train service and one on a double decker bus rocked the capital at peak hour this morning, crippling the transport system and the city.
At least 33 people have been confirmed dead.
Australian consular staff are at St Mary's Hospital and the Royal London Hospital and plan to attend other major hospitals in London in the search for any Australian victims.
"We've been doing our best to make contact with the hospitals, it seems to be a bit early for them to be able to give us any useful intelligence," Alston said.
"We've been liaising with all the emergency organisations.
"There's not much more we can do except monitor the situation and over time we expect the hospitals to be able to give us something more meaningful."
Alston said the 'terrorists' may have targeted London while a major security operation was protecting world leaders, including US President George Bush, at Gleneagles.
"People in London have always been of the view that something was bound to happen here," he said.
"As we know there have been a few near misses ... which is a tribute to security here.
"Maybe one reason why they didn't directly target Gleneagles and took the soft option to come to London when everyone's attention was elsewhere."
He said Australia would back Britain in its fight against 'terror'.
"I don't think there's any doubt at all the British government will be resolute and determined and we'll be 110 per cent behind them and I'm sure the British people will be as well," Alston said.
"If these things are designed to intimidate and cower, then they simply don't work."
People unable to make contact with Australians in London who they believe may have been up in the incidents can contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra on 1300 555 135.
Comments
Hide the following 11 comments
What?
07.07.2005 21:36
m
Tarred and tainted
07.07.2005 21:58
c
not really
07.07.2005 22:43
Now if it was the chief of the met saying it.... that would be something to be up in metaphorical arms about...
fredrico
e-mail:
musteatvegan@yahoo.co.uk
pulling an aznar
07.07.2005 22:47
aznar blamed basques for the march 11 bombings. then the people gave him the boot.
it's just what we should expect, but any politician or political appointee who plays like this needs to be voted out or recalled through pressure.
unfortunately, the grandmaster (or should i say, grandwizard) of this style of politics is sitting in the white house.
que se vayans todos, companer@s.
un abrazo from new york city.
ps
Outrageous
08.07.2005 00:35
But if a moron with a public profile like this can finger anarchists then why cant anarchists express their suspicions that these attacks were carried out with the sole aim of legitimizing the increase of state repression, especially in light of the probable desire on the part of Bu$h and co to attack Iran?
IMO this site is prone to postings of "grassroots" dis-informationists pretending to be innocent trolls! But then again I'd rather decide whats true or false for myself, regardless of the source.
Long live independent media
nobody
Is there a website link for this story?
08.07.2005 01:14
4ZZZ reporer from Australia
misleading article
08.07.2005 10:42
4zzz radio person
It's real
08.07.2005 11:40
f
Anarchist response
08.07.2005 12:11
There is also a statement from Southern African anarchists
Joe
alston isnt telling full truth (..)
08.07.2005 13:01
this is moreless obvious humbug, elsewhere it's stated several, rather some(), witnesses reported a nervous looking man checking his bag in the bus.
concerning that supposedly quitte some people got killed inthere , they wudnt very probably
all be unhurt that witnessed this, so i think the article about alston is of mediocre value, when interpreted as facts.
it's engineered i would say.
onix
Hmm...
08.07.2005 13:29
After all, an Islamist cell bombed the Paris Metro back in 1995 for unfathomable reasons.
No, I think there is a general desire toward violence on the part of these terror cells which is only retroactively articulated as being part of some "jihad". I agree with Zizek's argument about 9/11 - it was really little more than a case of the terrorists saying "look, we can do this" in rather nihilistic fashion, with all the subsequent stories about mass conspiracies and order emanating from Afghanistan being attempts to rationalise the utterly irrational.
John