It should have been obvious that the first attack would not be the last but I don't think many people expected it so soon.
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Just two short weeks the multiple bombings that killed at least 56 people during rush hour on the 7/7, London was plunged into chaos as a blatent copycat attack took place this afternoon.
Shortly before 1pm, London Underground was placed on 'amber alert' and the Hammersmith & City, Northern and Victoria lines were evacuated. Security cordons were put in place around three stations at the Oval, Warren Street and Shepherd's Bush and also around a number 26 bus on
Hackney Road in Bethnal Green, east London.
It quicly became obvious that a series of four co-ordinated incidents had taken place causing immediate and widespread panic. There was a striking similarity with the attacks of the 7th July, three tubes and one bus spread across London North, South, East and West in the shape of a burning cross.
Hearing what sounded like explosions, two of us grabbed cameras and headed off by bike. Unable to figure out where the noise came from or follow the sirens we headed for the scene of the incident on the number 26 bus where we got to within sight of the bus at a distance of around 20 yards. There was not a great deal going on, a large area had been cordoned off and there were loads of emergency personel and vehicles present but well away from the actual bus. I saw some kind of specalist go into the bus but that's about it. I didn't see any windows blown out as reported elsewhere.
It is obviously to early to guess whether todays four attacks were carried out by the same group that struck last time or the work of unrelated 'copycats'. Fortunately this time the bombs appeared to have either failed to go off or have been 'fakes'. The blasts were tiny only one minor injury reported, probably caused in the panic as people stampeded to get away.
At University College Hospital, armed police officers were deployed apparently to search for a suspect from the Warran Street attack. When I tried to go to Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel I found that people were being stopped and searched entering the premises. I was prevented from entering since I had a camera and their orders were keep out journalists.
The BBC reported that two people were arrested near Downing Street, one with a rucksac but Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair later said that the arrest appeared to be "entirely unconnected" to the copycat bombers.
Ken Livingstone, abandoned an apointment related to families of victims of the previous attacks and Tony Blair cancelled a visit to an East London school and joined an emergency 'Cobra' meeting instead. In a statement PM Tony Blair said those responsible were trying intimidate and frighten people, "We've just got to react calmly and continue with our business" he said. This was echoed by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair (unrelated), saying the London was "back to business". Funny how these people go on about 'business' instead of saying for example 'getting on with our lives' - but perhaps it just goes to show what this crap is all about.
video to follow
Shortly before 1pm, London Underground was placed on 'amber alert' and the Hammersmith & City, Northern and Victoria lines were evacuated. Security cordons were put in place around three stations at the Oval, Warren Street and Shepherd's Bush and also around a number 26 bus on
Hackney Road in Bethnal Green, east London.
It quicly became obvious that a series of four co-ordinated incidents had taken place causing immediate and widespread panic. There was a striking similarity with the attacks of the 7th July, three tubes and one bus spread across London North, South, East and West in the shape of a burning cross.
Hearing what sounded like explosions, two of us grabbed cameras and headed off by bike. Unable to figure out where the noise came from or follow the sirens we headed for the scene of the incident on the number 26 bus where we got to within sight of the bus at a distance of around 20 yards. There was not a great deal going on, a large area had been cordoned off and there were loads of emergency personel and vehicles present but well away from the actual bus. I saw some kind of specalist go into the bus but that's about it. I didn't see any windows blown out as reported elsewhere.
It is obviously to early to guess whether todays four attacks were carried out by the same group that struck last time or the work of unrelated 'copycats'. Fortunately this time the bombs appeared to have either failed to go off or have been 'fakes'. The blasts were tiny only one minor injury reported, probably caused in the panic as people stampeded to get away.
At University College Hospital, armed police officers were deployed apparently to search for a suspect from the Warran Street attack. When I tried to go to Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel I found that people were being stopped and searched entering the premises. I was prevented from entering since I had a camera and their orders were keep out journalists.
The BBC reported that two people were arrested near Downing Street, one with a rucksac but Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair later said that the arrest appeared to be "entirely unconnected" to the copycat bombers.
Ken Livingstone, abandoned an apointment related to families of victims of the previous attacks and Tony Blair cancelled a visit to an East London school and joined an emergency 'Cobra' meeting instead. In a statement PM Tony Blair said those responsible were trying intimidate and frighten people, "We've just got to react calmly and continue with our business" he said. This was echoed by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair (unrelated), saying the London was "back to business". Funny how these people go on about 'business' instead of saying for example 'getting on with our lives' - but perhaps it just goes to show what this crap is all about.
video to follow
Comments
Hide the following 12 comments
Maybe the bomb's were from the same batch+had gone off since two weeks ago
21.07.2005 21:43
Matt K
blair said it himself
21.07.2005 21:56
and who stands to gain?
too early to say much at the moment, but over the next few days concentrate on the differences AND the similarities to 7/7 and keep asking yourself that question.
rikki
"a burning cross"
21.07.2005 22:38
cjl
Who stands to gain?
21.07.2005 22:51
artaud
appaling
21.07.2005 23:47
Today, after a first headline at 2pm no one (not BBC, not IM) has updated their headlines or gotten more out of the investigators.
What does this say? Basically, our level of investigative journalism is poor. Everyone depends on the same couple of TV stations and news agencies. Not even the BBC has mad ethe effort to send someone to Bethnal Green before the evening news -- just to be in time for the evening news and do the standard thing.
I was just thinking of a newslock by the police etc but I think it's rather like this: everything is too complacent to deal with this kind of thing.
Anyway, where is the reasoning for the 7/7 bombing? I am still waiting...
ToteKatz
e-mail:
mimo@restoel.net
who stands to gain...
21.07.2005 23:54
So, both those who profligate fear because there is no other viable or immediately available tool of negotiation as well as those who have spent so long reacting rather than inventing, and who depend upon might rather than perception and a shrewd willingness to be adaptable.
So...in the end, no one, everyone suffers.
jason
Slang
22.07.2005 00:04
artaud
no gain for blair - now BBC v CNN
22.07.2005 08:37
Blair seeks to normalize the bombing hoping people will accept it like they accepted the Northern Ireland bombings. He says making an issue of it is to play into the terrorists hands. But not making it an issue is to play into his.
rebound
Media attendence
22.07.2005 11:52
n
Language
22.07.2005 12:43
To say people should go about their lives would make more sense, but it would not continue the neo-liberal doctrine that human activity IS economic activity.
Note also the immediate reaction to 7/7 was a discursive onslaught: WE are a resilient NATION (unite behind unthinking nationalism), DEFIANT (keep working and shopping) in defence of OUR SHARED VALUES AND WAY OF LIFE". Repeated again ad nauseam by Blair and Howard. What are these values and what is 'OUR' way of life? These are left unstated so that people can attach their own meanings. The only values and way of life that I can see linking most british and australian people are those of passivity in the face of a spectacular society, and consumer capitalism.
Go and read some Norman Fairclough perhaps, discourse analysis with a political edge. He did a good deconstruction of the Blairite third way and the New Labour agenda.
anarchoteapot
Hey Don't Believe the Psyops!
22.07.2005 21:10
Take the hint.
Boab
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