First for the folks on the board around London, I expect that anything the US can do to help, we will do. We stand side by side. Second, these events always have unexpected parallels and differences with past events and we just need to wait and see who did it any why. Timing it for this or that could just be a matter of chance and the current story line in the news will change as we learn more.
Well, even allowing for the entirely different nature and scale of the two events, it's hardly the case that everyone is just going about their business. The transport system of one of the world's greatest and biggest cities is totally goosed and there's chaos in and around the actual sites. Russell Square is an interesting choice - it's the tube that serves all the mid-budget hotels around that area, it's packed with Yank tourists all year round. Double-whammy targeting, methinks. It's also where our juniors stay when they go to the London office, thankfully we require people to be in earlier than the time of the bombings, so the two colleagues I had who did the trip from that station were already at work when it happened. Needless to say, both look rather green at the moment. Everyone I know is fine, which is something, I guess.
Here is a timeline of events from the BBC. SUSPECTED BLAST LOCATIONS Edgware Road King's Cross Liverpool Street Russell Square Aldgate East Moorgate
It looks at least to me that these scumbags have no time table. It is about patience when they are ready they are ready and they just happened to be ready now. They figure well this is a good time to do it so they did it.
There was an unconfirmed report of someone being caught at Canary Wharf before he managed to detonate a bomb. This is very unconfirmed as I haven't personally seen any reports regarding this.
The casualty counts are expected to rise; our hearts and prayers go out to London's civilians. A sad day! Let us find the terrorists and kill them! ~eternal vigilance is the price of liberty~
I tend to think the suicide bomb was probably someone on the way to deliver a bomb onto the tube or a train station. If you wanted to cause death it's a pretty daft idea to put a bomb into a bus that's a very good way to contain the blast.
I wanted to voice my concern for those involved as well as disgust at those who carried out the attacks. Hope the casualties will stay very low. I don't actually know what to say. I am still in shock.
Just been out to get lunch and all the papers are carrying the Olympic story with Union Flags and Headlines like Great Britain beats the World etc, what the fuck will they look like tomorrow? The British Army weighs 10,000 tonnes my friend, someones gonna get some.
A single bus bomb has knocked out the bus services in central London. What is the point in forcing the underground to close, if you leave the transport links above ground intact? This way, you cause added chaos and hinder the efforts of the emergency services. I can understand where you are coming from, but I would have to disagree.
What - we going to invade Iraq again? Not to politicise this event-related thread, but I wouldn't put too much of your understandable ire into false hopes of a glorious counterstrike. Fact is, the only thing we can realistically apply our resolve and expertise to is the way we use our intelligence services to pre-empt attacks and/or deal with the aftermath of any that get through. EDIT: Which, just by the by, is precisely what you are seeing now, our emergency services are amongst the best in the world at this stuff, thanks to decades of strife with Irish terrorism.
Shut. Up. Nobody is interested in your racist, right-wing buzzword **************** right now. Ever, really, but especially right now.
What an impressive message from Blair just now. Having all those big world leaders behind him with cold faces...We gots your back, Tony...man, that was something for the history books. Solid show of support.