M A I N   N E W S

London toll rises to 50; timers set off blasts

London, July 8
The police today launched a massive hunt for those responsible for killing over 50 people and injuring 700 in the bloodiest terror attack in London since World War II, saying the blasts bore “all the hallmarks” of the Al-Qaida and expressed “implacable resolve” to track down the perpetrators.

Head of the Met Police, Ian Blair, said the toll in yesterday’s four coordinated explosions — three on subway trains and one on a double-decker bus — would be at least 50.

There were a number of bodies still in a Tube train at Russell Square but the final figure was unlikely to top 100, he told a crowded press conference here.

Stating that the bombings had “all the hallmarks” of an Al-Qaida strike, he added that there was absolutely nothing to suggest that it was a suicide attack but did not rule out any possibility.

Anti-terrorist branch head Andy Hayman, who was also present at the press conference, said each device used in triggering the blasts had less than 10 lbs of high explosive in it. The type of device used is yet to be ascertained.

Mr Blair said of the 700 injured, 350 had minor injuries and were given the first aid, while another 350 were in hospitals, including 22 in serious condition.

A previously unknown group calling itself ‘Secret Organisation of the Al-Qaida’s Jihad in Europe’ had claimed responsibility for the blasts in a website posting.

Oil prices recovered to near $ 61 today as analysts said the attacks were expected to have a limited impact on the global economy and oil demand, but sterling slid to a fresh 19-month low against the dollar.

‘’There’s still a bit of a terrorist risk premium in the market,’’ said a strategist at a London bank. ‘’It would make a difference if we knew for sure that these were suicide bombers, rather than an active cell on the loose.’’

The police urged commuters to consider whether to come to work today to avoid burdening the transport system.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission warned London Muslims to stay at home, fearing a backlash against the community. The Muslim Council of Britain, which represents 1.6 million Muslims, called for prayers for the victims.

‘’We know that these people act in the name of Islam,’’ British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday. He declined to speculate who was behind the attacks.

Yesterday’s scenes of shocked and bloodied commuters were in stark contrast to the jubilant crowds who took to the streets on Wednesday after London was awarded the 2012 Olympic Games.

Britain’s Guardian newspaper said intelligence chiefs had reduced the threat level from the Al-Qaida only last month.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported today that timers, not suicide bombers, set off the four blasts on the London underground and a bus that killed at least 37 people yesterday.

The newspaper also cited unnamed US and British officials as saying that the device, which tore the top off a double-decker bus, might have exploded prematurely as a bomber was carrying it to another target.

The officials said the three blasts which ripped through underground trains seem to have been caused by package bombs left by attackers who fled and detonated them by timers, not mobile phones or other remote triggers.

The bombs which killed 191 people on trains in Madrid in March 2004 were triggered by mobile phones.

The London Police said it received no warning of the attacks, which the government said bore the hallmarks of the Islamic militant Al-Qaida network.

ABC News quoted the US authorities as saying that the London police had recovered key parts of the timing devices that set off the bombs and also said there were reports that the police might have found two unexploded bombs yesterday.

Many Underground trains and buses today cautiously resumed operations here, a day after the bomb attacks in the British capital.

There was heavy security presence as subway lines reopened and reluctant commuters slowly resumed travel, saying they had “little choice.”

Tube stations opened at their normal time, although delays were expected due to partially or fully closed underground routes. Two of the lines affected by the blasts were yet to open, officials said.

Bus service also resumed in central London, except for diversions around blast sites.

Even as a massive hunt was underway to track the bombers, who struck at three subway cars and a double-decker bus, the flag at Buckingham Palace flew at half mast to mourn those who perished in the terror attacks.

Security was tightened at the Heathrow, the world’s busiest airport, as discussions continued at the G8 Summit in Gleneagles.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, determined not to be deterred by the deadly attacks, returned to the G8 summit he had left in Scotland yesterday in the aftermath of the serial attacks. — PTI and Reuters