Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

Elphaba · 07-12-2005, 04:09 PM

I just found this CNN.com report:

Tuesday, July 12, 2005; Posted: 5:43 p.m. EDT (21:43 GMT)

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Police are focusing their investigation of last week's terrorist attacks on four men who could have been suicide bombers, the head of the city's anti-terrorist police said Tuesday.

Police were led to the four men after the family of one reported him missing just hours after the bombings on the capital's transit system that killed at least 52 people, said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke.

"The investigation quite early led us to have concerns about the movements and activities of four men, three of whom came from the West Yorkshire area," Clarke told a news conference.

"We are trying to establish their movements in the run-up to last week's attacks and specifically to establish whether they all died in the explosions."

Meanwhile, the British Press Association reported police found explosives in a car they believe was linked to the London blasts.

Police said bomb squad officers removed the explosives and planned to detonate them safely.

The car was parked in a train station car lot in Luton, which is 30 miles north of London and home to one of the city's three major airports.

Police closed the train station and the parking lot and cordoned off a 100-yard (-meter) area around it before investigation the vehicle.

Also Tuesday, Bedfordshire police said they were investigating another vehicle possibly connected to the bombings in a storage area in the town of Leighton Buzzard near Luton Airport.

At Tuesday's news conference, Clarke said three of the four men in question were from West Yorkshire, in northern England.

He said officers found personal documents bearing the names of three of the men near the train seats on three Underground trains where bombs exploded Thursday and personal property of the fourth man on the bus.

Clarke said it was "very likely" one of the men from West Yorkshire died in the bombings, which the government says bear the hallmark of al Qaeda.

Clarke said police arrested one man Tuesday while conducting a series of raids in West Yorkshire, about 200 miles north of London.

The news conference came hours after officers in Leeds, in Yorkshire, carried out a series of raids. Army bomb disposal experts earlier carried out a controlled explosion to gain access to a house in the Hyde Park area of the city.

Hundreds of residents from surrounding streets had to be evacuated as armed police took up position outside the house. Police also raided five other houses in the city.

London police have taken more than 700 witness statements and have had more than 2,000 calls to the anti-terrorist hotline, said Andy Hayman, London police assistant commissioner and head of specialist operations.

Officers are also reviewing 2,500 tapes of closed-circuit television footage from across the capital, as scores of families await news of loved ones feared killed.

In the capital two more victims were named. Jamie Gordon and Philip Stuart Russell were recovered from the site of the bus bombing in Tavistock Square, police said.

Meanwhile Tuesday, U.S. officials lifted a ban on about 10,000 U.S. military personnel based at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath, both in the eastern English county of Suffolk, going into the Greater London area. (Full story)

Matt Tulis, a spokesman at RAF Mildenhall, earlier told PA: "We are concerned about the safety of our folks and are trying to do what we can to protect them. This is the best course of action right now."

The instruction to U.S. forces contradicted the message from politicians, including London's mayor, for people to return to the capital.

Britain's finance minister, Chancellor Gordon Brown, vowed Tuesday that the European Union would unite to defeat terrorism and clamp down on the financing that feeds it.

Brown said he would raise the issue of sanctions against countries that failed to act against terrorist financing on the agenda of an International Monetary Fund summit later this year.

Anxious families frustrated by the slow progress of police efforts to identify victims were asked to show patience Monday by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair.

Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed Britain would defeat the terrorists who inflicted the "murderous carnage of the innocent."

Talking of Britain's "revulsion" at the attacks, the prime minister told the House of Commons that 56 people were still hospitalized.

Blair said it seemed probable the London attacks were carried out by Islamic extremist terrorists. He said he knew of no specific intelligence that could have prevented the bombings.

London police revealed three additional confirmed deaths above the 49 already announced -- and said the number of dead was expected to rise further.

Forensics experts have said it could take weeks to identify all the bodies recovered, many of which were mangled in Thursday's attacks.

Police chief Blair said rescue workers were now recovering body parts, not entire bodies. He encouraged Londoners to go about their lives as normal, continuing to use the city's public transport systems but remaining vigilant.

Deputy Chief Constable Andy Trotter of the British Transport Police said police had "redoubled our efforts" to make people feel safe moving about the capital again.

"We say that London is open for business. If we don't do that, then the terrorists will have won and that's not what we want," Trotter said.

In their search for clues to the attacks, which also wounded 700 people, police urged the public to send in pictures and video taken with digital cameras or mobile phones at the bomb sites.

Authorities have warned Britain could face more terrorist attacks unless those responsible for the attack on London's transport network are captured.

07-12-2005, 04:09 PM	#177 (permalink)
Elphaba Deja Moo Location: Olympic Peninsula, WA	I just found this CNN.com report: Tuesday, July 12, 2005; Posted: 5:43 p.m. EDT (21:43 GMT) LONDON, England (CNN) -- Police are focusing their investigation of last week's terrorist attacks on four men who could have been suicide bombers, the head of the city's anti-terrorist police said Tuesday. Police were led to the four men after the family of one reported him missing just hours after the bombings on the capital's transit system that killed at least 52 people, said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke. "The investigation quite early led us to have concerns about the movements and activities of four men, three of whom came from the West Yorkshire area," Clarke told a news conference. "We are trying to establish their movements in the run-up to last week's attacks and specifically to establish whether they all died in the explosions." Meanwhile, the British Press Association reported police found explosives in a car they believe was linked to the London blasts. Police said bomb squad officers removed the explosives and planned to detonate them safely. The car was parked in a train station car lot in Luton, which is 30 miles north of London and home to one of the city's three major airports. Police closed the train station and the parking lot and cordoned off a 100-yard (-meter) area around it before investigation the vehicle. Also Tuesday, Bedfordshire police said they were investigating another vehicle possibly connected to the bombings in a storage area in the town of Leighton Buzzard near Luton Airport. At Tuesday's news conference, Clarke said three of the four men in question were from West Yorkshire, in northern England. He said officers found personal documents bearing the names of three of the men near the train seats on three Underground trains where bombs exploded Thursday and personal property of the fourth man on the bus. Clarke said it was "very likely" one of the men from West Yorkshire died in the bombings, which the government says bear the hallmark of al Qaeda. Clarke said police arrested one man Tuesday while conducting a series of raids in West Yorkshire, about 200 miles north of London. The news conference came hours after officers in Leeds, in Yorkshire, carried out a series of raids. Army bomb disposal experts earlier carried out a controlled explosion to gain access to a house in the Hyde Park area of the city. Hundreds of residents from surrounding streets had to be evacuated as armed police took up position outside the house. Police also raided five other houses in the city. London police have taken more than 700 witness statements and have had more than 2,000 calls to the anti-terrorist hotline, said Andy Hayman, London police assistant commissioner and head of specialist operations. Officers are also reviewing 2,500 tapes of closed-circuit television footage from across the capital, as scores of families await news of loved ones feared killed. In the capital two more victims were named. Jamie Gordon and Philip Stuart Russell were recovered from the site of the bus bombing in Tavistock Square, police said. Meanwhile Tuesday, U.S. officials lifted a ban on about 10,000 U.S. military personnel based at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath, both in the eastern English county of Suffolk, going into the Greater London area. (Full story) Matt Tulis, a spokesman at RAF Mildenhall, earlier told PA: "We are concerned about the safety of our folks and are trying to do what we can to protect them. This is the best course of action right now." The instruction to U.S. forces contradicted the message from politicians, including London's mayor, for people to return to the capital. Britain's finance minister, Chancellor Gordon Brown, vowed Tuesday that the European Union would unite to defeat terrorism and clamp down on the financing that feeds it. Brown said he would raise the issue of sanctions against countries that failed to act against terrorist financing on the agenda of an International Monetary Fund summit later this year. Anxious families frustrated by the slow progress of police efforts to identify victims were asked to show patience Monday by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair. Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed Britain would defeat the terrorists who inflicted the "murderous carnage of the innocent." Talking of Britain's "revulsion" at the attacks, the prime minister told the House of Commons that 56 people were still hospitalized. Blair said it seemed probable the London attacks were carried out by Islamic extremist terrorists. He said he knew of no specific intelligence that could have prevented the bombings. London police revealed three additional confirmed deaths above the 49 already announced -- and said the number of dead was expected to rise further. Forensics experts have said it could take weeks to identify all the bodies recovered, many of which were mangled in Thursday's attacks. Police chief Blair said rescue workers were now recovering body parts, not entire bodies. He encouraged Londoners to go about their lives as normal, continuing to use the city's public transport systems but remaining vigilant. Deputy Chief Constable Andy Trotter of the British Transport Police said police had "redoubled our efforts" to make people feel safe moving about the capital again. "We say that London is open for business. If we don't do that, then the terrorists will have won and that's not what we want," Trotter said. In their search for clues to the attacks, which also wounded 700 people, police urged the public to send in pictures and video taken with digital cameras or mobile phones at the bomb sites. Authorities have warned Britain could face more terrorist attacks unless those responsible for the attack on London's transport network are captured.