Jesus these guys are going to get a hammering when they're caught.
Yes, two weeks on, if you haven't yet heard (which I doubt) ... and London has been bombed again. I use the term 'bombed' loosely at the moment because it's all rather unclear exactly what did happen. Lots of speculation that another big attack was planned - 3 tube trains, 1 bus again - Sir Ian Blair (head of the Metropolitan Police) says it was clear they wanted to kill but it looks as if small explosions like detonators occurred, not full big explosive bombs.
I was literally shaking when I switched on the TV news around 1:20 when I heard. Smoke was reportedly coming out of tube stations, 3 tube incidents had occurred ... then suddenly a bus explosion. Way too familiar.
Information is slow today ... 4 events but how many explosions? One report says that the incident on the Hammersmith and City line at Shepherd's Bush didn't meet with an explosion.There are talks of unexploded bombs. Talks of confused terrorist who, after realising he wasn't dead, ran for it. Weird reports, probably random conjecture or chinese whispers right now.
Then there were the two other incidents ... one at University College Hospital and the other that panned out live on TV in Whitehall at the bottom of Downing Street. An Asian man with a backpack on was subdued by police live on air before the TV cams were asked to switch off. All very conveniently timed ... but Sir Ian later said these two events were not connected.
Thankfully my taxi has arrived and I can now go home ... maybe write later.
Basically though ... my shaking and fear is gone and I am not just pretty angry about it all. Confused but now really pretty damn angry. They'll throw the book at them ... and possibly find out some extremely useful intelligence in so doing. But what do I know, I'm just another Londoner.
3 comments:
Hi Damon, Glad to know that you are safe, I was literally shocked at the events of today and worried about you totally what with the BBC being near to one of the stations evacuated- that being Shepherds Bush of course.
Don't be worried about it, we all have to get on with our lives and try not to let the terrorists believe that they are scaring us. You're a brave man, Damon!
Hi, just read my original post here. I was rushing hugely so it didn't make much sense, sorry all ;)
Thanks all for writing here. One thing I've been thinking about a lot in the last few days is that clearly London has got it very easy compared to the dreadful events in Iraq right now. Britain is one of the architects of the current situation out there. 150 people ddied at the weekend. 13 were killed the other day in a gun attack on a bus, if I recall correctly. Suicide bombers are killing what seems like at least a dozen civillians daily over there.
But of course, we consider our country to be 'civilisation' and can keep 'less civilised' countries in a little box at the back of our minds.
The British gov't are desperately trying to spin us the idea that our involvement in Iraq has nothing to do with London's recent terrorist attacks. Uh-huh. No one believes this. They say that extremist muslim terrorism of this nature started even before 9/11, 10 years ago Blair said yesterday. Yes but the terrorism has ratcheted up a few gears since then and now has Britain as a focus and we perhaps ought not to sit back and say it has nothing to do with us. That's ridiculous spin and sounds a lot like detached arrogance or lack of appreciation of others cultures. Or something.
How are you Damon?
What have you been up to this fine Saturday?
Katie
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