Four Small Blasts Hit London Transport System
''We know why these things are done. They are done to scare people. Fortunately in this instance there appear to have been no casualties ... We've got to react calmly.''
LONDON – Exactly two weeks to the day after four suicide bombers blew up various transport links on the London transport system, the English capital was once again hit by a serious of copycat attacks on three tube trains and a London bus.
While initial reports indicate that the incidents did not cause widespread harm on any where near the same scale as the attacks a fortnight ago, the situation in London is being treated as extremely serious. One of the incidents has been reported to have been a nail bomb attack at Warren Street station, however, only one person so far is said to be injured.
A spokeswoman for British Transport Police stated that Warren Street, Shepherd's Bush and Oval stations were all evacuated in addition to a No. 26 bus in Hackney, East London. The bus attack this time, however, was said to have blown out the windows but no injuries were caused.
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British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, cancelled his afternoon appointments after hearing news of the dramatic incidents, and Scotland Yard have calmed fears by releasing a statement saying it was not immediately treating the incidents as of the same magnitude as the July 7 bombings.
Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner said that the incidents were "clearly very serious."
“At the moment the casualty numbers appear to be very low in the explosions,” the Commissioner stated, adding that “the bombs appear to be smaller than on the last occasions, but we don't know the implications of this yet and we'll have to examine the scene very closely."
Two weeks ago, four bombings killed 56 London travelers in coordinated attacks blamed on the al-Qaeda terrorist group. The incident was widely condemned by all leading religious leaders including Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh heads.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Blair met with two dozen leaders of Britain’s Muslim community at Downing Street in an effort to find a way forward and ease inter-faith relations in the midst of the recent London Terrorist attacks. They stood united in their criticism of the July 7 attacks and stated that they were shocked and appalled.
In addition, in the aftermath of the July 7 bombings, the Muslim Council of Britain and Churches Together in Britain issued a joint statement saying, "We continue to resist all attempts to associate our communities with the hateful acts of any minority who claim falsely to represent us. In the present uncertainties, we look to all community leaders to give an example of wisdom, tolerance and compassion."
Other leading Christian bodies and leaders also condemned the original attacks, including the Evangelical Alliance UK, the Bishop of London, the World Council of Churches, the head of the worldwide Anglican Communion Dr Rowan Williams among others.
