Thursday, July 07, 2005
‘45 DEAD’
Sky News reports:
At least 45 people are reported to have been killed and 1,000 injured in a series of co-ordinated terror attacks on London.
Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt said the figures, which could rise, were from a reliable source.
He also reported that it is understood that seven were killed in the bus blast in Tavistock Square.
A previously unknown group calling itself “Secret Organisation al Qaeda in Europe” said it carried out the attacks as revenge for British “military massacres” in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(Via J.F. Beck, sourcing many of the links here tonight)
UPDATE I. Der Spiegel translates the letter claiming responsibility for the murders:
“Rejoice, community of Muslims,” the letter states. “The heroic mujahedeens today conducted an attack in London,” it continues. All of Great Britain is now shaken and shocked, “in the north, the south, west and east.” “We’ve warned the British government and the British people time and again,” the letter adds. “We’ve kept our promise and have carried out a blessed military operation.”
UPDATE II. The Australian Foreign Affairs helpline for relatives has changed. Now call 1800 00 22 14. The Scotland Yard hotline for people within Britain: 0870 1566 344.
UPDATE III. Well, this sure is a relief:
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday in Singapore that the London bombing was not related to the Olympic Games.
UPDATE IV. Timelines from Sky and the BBC, and images from This is London. A seat from the attacked bus landed near the home of a former novelist:
UPDATE V. A prediction from Tim Worstall:
Tomorrow we’ll find out whether Britons are, still, in fact, Britons. Many years ago I was working in The City and there were two events that made travel into work almost impossible.
The first was a series of storms that brought down power lines, blocked train routes and so on. Not surprisingly, the place was empty the next day. Why bother to struggle through?
The other event was an IRA bomb which caused massive damage and loss of life. Trains were disrupted, travel to work the next day was horribly difficult and yet there were more people at work than on a normal day. There was no co-ordination to this, no instructions went out, but it appeared that people were crawling off their sick beds in order to be there at work the next day, thrusting their mewling and pewling infants into the arms of anyone at all so that they could be there.
Yes, we’ll take an excuse for a day off, throw a sickie. But you threaten us, try to kill us? Kill and injure some of us?
Fuck you, sunshine.
We’ll not be having that.
UPDATE VI. Many blog links and reactions (Australian, UK, and elsewhere) gathered by Phil Gomes.