M A I N   N E W S

Special to the tribune
London gears up for marathon to express solidarity with Boston blast victims
Shyam Bhatia in London

Former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss is to participate in this coming weekend's London Marathon as an act of solidarity with victims of the terror attack in the US city of Boston and to prove that 'terrorism doesn't work'.

Strauss, who was part of the England team that toured India following the 2008 Mumbai attacks, commented about the Boston violence, "It's a horrendous tragedy and I think this is an opportunity for all of us that are involved in the London Marathon to come out and do our bit and show a bit of solidarity and also show that we're not going to cower with fear."

The 36-year-old cricketer, who will be representing the Lords Taverners charity, added, "The world goes on and this is our opportunity to show in our own tiny little way that terrorism doesn't work."

Meanwhile, Britain's Home Secretary has told MPs that security will be tightened at the London Marathon following the Boston bombings.

Theresa May told the Home Affairs Select Committee, "They've made some adjustments to policing. They've put in some increased policing for the marathon."

UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told a radio show that images received from the US had been 'heartbreaking' and he understood the anxiety of the British public.

"I have spoken to the Met Commissioner (Chief of London police) himself about this yesterday, and I have a huge amount of confidence in the police and security services of this country," Clegg said.

"They do an amazing job keeping us safe all the time. They are doing a double, triple, quadruple checking of all their arrangements for the Marathon, because, of course, what happened in Boston is just horrific."

Queen Elizabeth's grandson, Prince Harry, is expected to appear at the start of the London Marathon which will feature a 30 seconds' silence before starting in honour of the Boston victims.

Chief executive of the London Marathon Nick Bitel said he hoped the race would be an event in which 'humanity can be united'.

"One of the great things about the London Marathon is that it is perceived as being this event that brings people together," he commented.

"One of the founding principles of the London Marathon was to show that at least on one day, humanity can be united.

"We instigated a full security review. Considerable extra police and our own security resources will be employed.

"London is one of the safest cities in the world. We saw last year with the Olympic Games, the Metropolitan Police lead an incredible security effort around the Games. There is really no finer force in the world in answering these types of threats.

"We want to reassure our runners, spectators, volunteers and everyone connected with the event that we are doing everything to ensure their safety and that the Virgin London Marathon 2013 is an outstanding success."