London Underground shut down

[Tom]

Oh well, bollocks to the terrorists, I won't be changing anything. Fuck em.

*goes out on bike*

 

[Jupitus]

Seems that the bus blast may have been a suicide bomber, also reports of a group claiming responsibility on the web, alledgedly for UK involvement in Iraq.

 

[tankgirl_ni]

but why now? isnt it all a bit random?

 

[Ormorof]

but why now? isnt it all a bit random?

G8 was probably main reason, the olympic celebration just came as an added bonus for them uke:

 

[Rubber Bullets]

At the risk of conjecture, sorry Maxi, I'm inclined to believe it is The Olympics this is aimed at.

Given the number of blasts the number of dead (so far at least, and it will sadly rise) is very low. This makes me think that either we have been incredably, and unfeasably lucky, or widespread death and destruction were not the main desires of the bombers. I think maybe it was just the bombers saying, OK you got the olympics, but look how easily we can bring your entire city to a standstill any time we want.

RB

 

[Ormorof]

At the risk of conjecture, sorry Maxi, I'm inclined to believe it is The Olympics this is aimed at.

Given the number of blasts the number of dead (so far at least, and it will sadly rise) is very low. This makes me think that either we have been incredably, and unfeasably lucky, or widespread death and destruction were not the main desires of the bombers. I think maybe it was just the bombers saying, OK you got the olympics, but look how easily we can bring your entire city to a standstill any time we want.

RB

surely it would need months of planning and preparation? and they could hardly know that london was getting the olympics until a few days ago

 

[Alan]

1210 The BBC's Security Correspondent Frank Gardner says BBC monitoring services have located a website linked to al-Qaeda with a 200-word statement claiming responsibility for the bombings

 

[old.Tohtori]

surely it would need months of planning and preparation? and they could hardly know that london was getting the olympics until a few days ago

A well working organisation could carry out this scale of an attack with just two days...or even one.

All about how big risks they are willing to take. And if they did target the olympics, it has to be more then the local boybombers.

Though i'm not ruling out that an attack on london was planned forehand and they were waiting for an event like this.

 

[tankgirl_ni]

i guess your right in the respect that we have been lucky that there doesnt as yet seem to be many serious injuries or deaths / destruction... and they could be saying "how easily we can bring your entire city to a standstill any time we want." but that in itself is more worrying.. does that mean there are more insidents or worse still to come?

 

[Panda On Smack]

My bro is a fireman based at West Hampstead, he got called in this morning at 9 and has been at Kings cross tube station since then. Apparently as im sure we all guessed its much worse than the news are saying. I guess they dont want panic and are being as quiet about deaths as possible. My bro called it a massacre.

 

[nath]

A well working organisation could carry out this scale of an attack with just two days...or even one.

Sorry but you know this how?

My bro is a fireman based at West Hampstead

The one on west end lane?

 

[Escape]

At least one reporter made sense on the news. He claimed this was planned for disruption and panic, not for a high death toll(like the Madrid & Bali bombings).

It's very messed up, to think how many people will die or be maimed today. Even worse, we'll hear the same bullshit from the government and this may become a reason to root out the Al Qaida network in Iran!

Now the G8 summit will be undermined, with all of the media attention fixed on this.
Labour will spend £Billions on ID cards, without opposition.

 

[old.Tohtori]

Sorry but you know this how?

From what i've seen a military group can do. Normal army you know. These "terrorist groups" are sometimes as well organised, if not even better.

EDIT: It's what i -think-, not pure knowledge of terrorist tactics.

 

[Ormorof]

i guess your right in the respect that we have been lucky that there doesnt as yet seem to be many serious injuries or deaths / destruction... and they could be saying "how easily we can bring your entire city to a standstill any time we want." but that in itself is more worrying.. does that mean there are more insidents or worse still to come?

well according to danish newsites, the site of the group that claimed responsibility hhas warned that it will carry out further attacks on denmark and italy if troops arent withdrawn, waiting for it to hit the beeb though for confirmation....

 

[Javai]

The major British news channels are being very circumspect about reporting casualties but Sky News reported that Italian news agencies were reporting 50 deaths (this was about 1 hour ago)

 

[Panda On Smack]

The one on west end lane?

yeah, think thats it. only bene once on his graduation day. you know someone there?

 

[Chilly]

if you had some explosives knocking about it would be an easy matter to just drop them on the tube and leave. theres no metasl detectors/searches/dogs/etc in london tube stations in normal operating times so it's piss easy to do it if you have the kit.

 

[nath]

yeah, think thats it. only bene once on his graduation day. you know someone there?

Nah, I just pass it almost every day - it's right round the corner from me.

 

[tankgirl_ni]

". theres no metasl detectors/searches/dogs/etc in london tube stations in normal operating times"

I imagine after this there probably will be.

 

[dysfunction]

Having metal detectors/searches etc on the Underground just would not work....there are too many people on the network. Its chaotic at the best of times without being slowed down by metal detectors etc...

 

[Chilly]

". theres no metasl detectors/searches/dogs/etc in london tube stations in normal operating times"

I imagine after this there probably will be.

of course there won't be.
how many people do you think use the zone 1 tube every day? a million? half a million? I dunno, but its a fucking lot of people, you cannot impose the kind of security checks to guarantee this does not happen again without some serious problems, namely:
-money, it would cost tax payers and tube-goers a fuckton of cash to implement and carry out
-time, it would waste SO much time for commuters and such that the net effect on the economy would be insane - you would hav get up 2 hours earlier to go to work because you have to stand in lines for hours waiting to be cavity searched.

It's only JUST feasable to do this kind of security checking in an airport where you might get 10 million (i think..) passengers a year and where you have considerably more room to do said security checking.

In an ideal world, it would be great, but it won't happen. Maybe a few sniffer dogs, armed police, and of course the compulsary "stop any non-white person with a bag" random stop-n-searches.

 

[Clown]

I thought I would find discussion about it here.

6 tubes and a bus were bombed. 800 casualties. My first reaction was that it was a response to the Olympics decision, secondly about the G8 summit thingy. Getting into work was a pain enough as it was, there were massive delays and sections suspended before any of the explosions. I dunno how the fuck I'm getting home, and it's pissing down so I don't even want to try and walk. There were people booking hotel rooms for people that needed them though. Mhm.

I'm going now. My building is on RED ALERT. Danger danger.

 

[tankgirl_ni]

they will probably do what they do over here, random searches.. one in ever 7 or 8 people or something. but in saying that its only added to the racism problem in belfast, because no one searches you unless your black/chinese/arab etc etc
i worked in a port around the time of 9/11 and we got told by our boss "if it doesnt look like a native.. f*ckin search it!"

 

[Chilly]

well, in this particular type of incident its partially valid I suppose, anyone ever seen a western man do a suicide bombing?

~hides from the YOUR A RACIST **** spam~

 

[nath]

Where does it stop - how much freedom should we give up to ensure our safety?

 

[Chilly]

you cant ensure your safety - if someone wants to kill you they bloody will, it's not hard and there is very little you can do to stop it.

 

[nath]

If that's the case, why bother with the racial profiling.

 

[tankgirl_ni]

"anyone ever seen a western man do a suicide bombing?"

John Walker Lindh a 20yr old from california .. ok so there is no evidence that Lindh intended to murder people or to assist terrorists in doing so but the us government
have been trying to pin alot on him giving him the name of the "american taliban" etc. because he converted to islam and went to afghanistan because he believed it was his religious duty to assist his fellow muslims militarily in their jihad.

just cuz he never killed anyone doesnt mean there arnt other non-islamic-born westeners out there who have / will.

religion does nothing but create bloody problems

 

[Clown]

religion does nothing but create bloody problems

You're going to hell!

 

[Chilly]

i was just pointing out a seemingly sensible connection. just because it also happens to be racial profiling doesn't make me a racist.

Personally I think the gov has gone too far already with security, and I think its a feedback situation, because we thought Iraq was a threat we invaded and provoked (perhaps) attacks against us instead of leaving well enough alone and letting Iraq sort its own shit out, maybe a but of economic aid would have been sensible, promising to lift all trade blocks if saddam stepped down etc...
so now we are in the situation where we attack others to (supposedly) ensure our own safety and it comes back to kick us right up the arse.