'Al-Qaeda memo to Gordon Brown'
June 30, 2007 06:38am
THE discovery of two bombs in central London raised the spectre of possible al-Qaeda terrorism returning to the British capital, two days after a new government took power and a week before the second anniversary of the city's July 7 2005 suicide bombings, which killed 52.
Professor Anthony Glees of Brunel University, an intelligence expert at Brunel University, said the apparent simultaneous bombing attempt pointed to Al-Qaeda.
"There even more evidence now that this is an al-Qaeda plot. It's an al-Qaeda memo to Gordon Brown,'' he said, referring to the new prime minister who succeeded Tony Blair on Wednesday.
"It's an al-Qaeda memo to the British public, that they are determined to carry on...their attack on ordinary British people,'' he said.
Speaking before the second device was found, Mr Brown said the alert was a fresh warning of the threat faced by London, which next week marks the second anniversary of the July 7 2005 suicide attacks which killed 52 people and the four bombers.
Rajeshree Patel, who was in the Tiger Tiger club when it was evacuated, told BBC television: "I think there would have been a lot of fatalities. There were approximately 500 people inside Tiger Tiger at the time.''
Peter Clarke, the Metropolitan Police anti-terrorism chief said police had no warning of an attack and it was unclear if the nightclub was the target but there were similarities with previous plots.
Members of an Islamist-inspired gang were jailed for life earlier this year after plotting to attack a number of high-profile British targets, including London's Ministry of Sound nightclub.
And a Muslim convert was put behind bars for 30 years here last November for plotting devastating attacks in London and New York, including a plan to detonate limousines packed with explosives at key landmarks.
A security source quoted by Britain's Press Association news agency said it was "entirely possible'' the latest incident had overseas links as insurgents in Iraq had used similar methods, but they were keeping an open mind.
The alerts provided a baptism of fire not just for Prime Minister Brown, but also for his Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who was less than 24 hours into the role.
She met Mr Brown in Downing Street and afterwards called for public vigilance.
"We are currently facing the most serious and sustained threat to our security from international terrorism,'' she said.
Ms Smith earlier chaired a meeting of the government's emergency contigencies committee, COBRA, and reported to Brown's senior ministers at an extended cabinet meeting.
Police sources said there was as much as 60 litres of petrol on the back seat and in the boot of the first car found.
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