M A I N   N E W S

Security scare in Birmingham, thousands evacuated
H.S. Rao

London, July 10
A “credible threat” forced the British police to sound an alert and evacuate over 30,000 persons in the bustling Birmingham city, but the warning was lifted later as none of the suspicious packages found proved to be “credible terrorist devices.”

The threat came as prayers were held in churches across the country for victims of Thursday’s bomb attacks in London, which is returning to normal even as the police hunts for the perpetrators of the serial blasts.

The mass evacuation was carried out last night after the police received “substantial threats”, two days after blasts rocked London’s underground train stations and a passenger bus killing over 50 persons and injuring at least 700.

Bomb squads conducted four controlled explosions in a bus near the city centre in Birmingham to blow up four packages it found in mysterious circumstances, but later found that they were not “credible terrorist devices”.

The police, however, justified the operation with the West Midlands Chief Constable Paul Scott Lee saying that the decision to evacuate the people from the city centre had not been taken lightly and came after a “very specific threat”. “There was a credible threat that was made,” he added.

He put the threat in the context of the broader global climate on terrorism and said it was unrelated to the suspicious packages which were found.

“The threat that we responded to was very specific,” he said. “It was specific about the time and also the locations.”

He said the threat had “gone away” as the operation was over.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke warned that the country should expect more threats similar to that seen in Birmingham as the police was yet to track down those behind the blasts.

He said the police and intelligence agencies had thwarted several attacks in the past five years.

Meanwhile, London began limping back to routine even as anxious relatives continued to scour hospitals in search of their loved ones missing since the blasts.

Special services were held in churches in memory of those perished in the blasts while people thronged areas close to the blast site in search of their dear and near ones.

Photographs of those went missing after the attack along with appeals for information about them have covered the walls, bus stops and telephone boxes close to King’s Cross station, scene of the worst attack.

A steady stream of well-wishers thronged the station with flowers and messages for the victims of the carnage.

The police, who had made no arrests so far, said it was looking for no particular individuals and that the bombs were made of high explosive, not home-made materials.

It said the bombs went off simultaneously, giving credence to doubts that it was detonated by timers rather than suicide bombers.

Below the King’s Cross station, rescue workers were still trying to retrieve bodies from the underground tunnel. — PTI

3 held at Heathrow Airport

London, July 10
Three men have been arrested at Heathrow Airport under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

However, the police said it would be inappropriate to draw any links with the bomb attacks in London.

Scotland Yard confirmed that the arrests were made last night. News of the detentions was given at a press conference held by senior officers. — UNI

Pakistani held with rail system map: report

New York, July 10
A Pakistani was detained at Stansted Airport outside London last Friday allegedly with a map of the underground rail system with three bombed train stations circled, a media report said today. Quoting a US intelligence source, Time magazine reported about the detention.

A British official, the magazine said, confirmed that a Pakistani had been arrested but said there was no known connection between the bombings and the “event at Stansted”. — PTI