Four bombs explode in rush hour ■At least 700 injured ■
Tony Blair yesterday blamed terrorists acting in the name of Islam for the deadliest-ever terror attack on London, which killed at least 37 people.
Four bombs exploded at the height of London's morning rush hour, three in the city's underground railway system and one on a bus, bringing the transport system to a standstill.
The blasts occurred as Britain's prime minister and other world leaders were meeting at the Group of Eight summit in Scotland.
Mr Blair said: “Here at this summit, the world's leaders are striving to combat world poverty and save and improve human life. The perpetrators of today's attacks are intent on destroying human life.”
The co-ordinated attacks, which the authorities said also injured at least 700 people, struck at the heart of the capital's vulnerable transport network. The city's bus and underground rail systems were closed and overground rail services were curtailed severely.
About 1,500 London police officers, deployed in Scotland for the summit, were ordered back to the capital. Mr Blair left the talks early and returned to London.
Mr Blair said: “We know that these people act in the name of Islam but we also know that the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims both here and abroad are decent and law-abiding people who abhor this kind of terrorism every bit as much as we do.”
British officials said they had no inkling of the attacks, an admission likely to raise questions about Britain's preparedness to deal with a further assault. Early last month, MI5, the domestic security service, advised businesses that the threat from international terrorism in Britain was lower than at any time since the attacks on New York and Washington in September 2001. In an advisory note to leading businesses, the threat was downgraded from its second highest “severe general” to “substantial”.
This could imply that yesterday's attacks were carried out by a cell that had not been penetrated by the intelligence services.
British officials pointed to the sophistication of the attacks. The three blasts on the Underground led thousands to pour out of tube stations and on to buses. Minutes later, an explosion ripped open a London bus.
As police combed the blast scenes, there was no immediate word on how the bombs were detonated. Mobile phones, used to detonate bombs in the March 2004 rush-hour attacks in Madrid, do not function in the deep tunnels where one of the three underground attacks occurred. Police would not rule the possibility that at least one of the blasts was caused by a suicide bomb.
A previously unknown Islamist group, The Secret Organisation of Al-Qaeda Jihad in Europe, used a website to claim responsibility.
The group said the attacks were “in revenge of the massacres that Britain is committing in Iraq and Afghanistan”. The group also threatened Italy and Denmark with similar attacks unless they removed troops from Iraq, but the validity of the claim could not be assessed.
President George W. Bush sent “heartfelt condolences” to the people of London, saying “this war on terror goes on”.
Speaking on the steps of the Gleneagles Hotel, Mr Bush said: “This is an opportunity to express heartfelt condolences to the people in London.”
Within minutes of hearing of the explosion, US officials were considering the implications for domestic security. Mr Bush urged extra vigilance as people in the US headed for work.
A Spanish police official said the attacks had parallels with those in Madrid, which were carried out largely by north Africans. “They attacked the public transport system at rush-hour and seemed to have been aiming for maximum casualties. This suggests to us that Islamic terrorists with a common anti-western cause are involved,” he said.
布莱尔谴责恐怖分子以伊斯兰名义作恶
英国首相托尼?布莱尔(Tony Blair)昨天谴责恐怖分子以伊斯兰教的名义对伦敦发起了该城历史上死亡人数最多的恐怖袭击，造成至少37人丧生。
在伦敦早晨上班高峰期间，发生了四起炸弹爆炸事件，其中三起是在市区的地铁系统中，一起发生在公共汽车上，使整个交通系统陷入停顿。
爆炸发生时，英国首相正和世界其它地区的领导人在苏格兰举行八国峰会。
布莱尔先生说：“在峰会上，世界各地的领袖们正在致力解决全球贫困问题，以拯救生命，改善人类生活。而今天，发起袭击的凶手们却在肆意摧毁人的生命。”
英国官员表示，他们并无得到任何关于此次袭击的迹象。这一承认很可能引起人们的疑问，即英国是否已准备好应对更多袭击。上月初，英国国内安全机构军情五处(MI5)通告企业说，国际恐怖主义对英国的威胁要低于自2001年9月纽约和华盛顿恐怖袭击以来的任何时候。在发给主要企业的建议通告中，恐怖袭击的威胁被从原来的第二高级别“普遍严重(severe general)”下调至“相当大”(substantial)。
这可能意味着昨天的袭击是由一个尚未被情报机关渗透的组织所为。
目前警方在彻底搜索爆炸现场，暂时并无任何有关炸弹如何引爆的消息。在2004年3月的马德里爆炸案中，手机曾被用来引爆炸弹。但在伦敦那些地下深处的隧道中，手机无法发挥作用。而三次地下袭击中有一次发生在隧道里。警方不排除至少有一起是由自杀式炸弹所为的可能。
一个此前不为人知的伊斯兰组织“欧洲基地圣战秘密组织”(Secret Organisation of Al-Qaeda Jihad in Europe)在一个网站上宣称对此次袭击负责。
