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Recent attacks in London - 2005/07/07 15:58
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4661059.stm
From what I have gathered of the recent news there are at least 37 people killed and 700 injured. The intelligence sevice's think this could be a new terrorist cell that was previously unknown about. Disruption is minimal to transport around the UK except for the train lines going in or out of London. At somepoint tomorrow they expect the london transport system to be back to normal with the exception of those stations and areas currently considered a 'crime scean'. (But they advise to not enter London if possible for the next couple of days while the transport network returns to normal).
There were around 4 bombs placed. (earlier reports of 7 were incorrect as bombs on trains between stations gave the appearence of more than there where). 3 bombs were placed on the underground trains and 1 on a bus. Almost immediatly all buses were halted and the trains in the tunnels were sent back to the nearest station.
Paraphrasing some reports from the media there was no demographic targetted. Those injured were from all classes and races.
The important thing is not to get paranoid and have bag checks on all buses and trains for no reason as that in itself will cause more disruption and will only please those that planned this attack further. The goverment are allready considering what improvements to implement to make this harder in the future, but at the same time keeping a balance between freedom and safety.
I would like to say that this is not common place and there isn't any reason to avoid the UK or change your plans if you intend to visit during the course of the year. The people who placed those bombs took the easy targets (and got lucky). Normally stations here are regularly checked for any unidentified packages and all luggage (including hand) is checked when boarding planes (local and international flights). Many important tourist sites also tend to have security to various degree's and medical cover.
There is quite strict controls on guns in the UK (with pistols being illegal). Normally the intelligence service uncovers any terrorist activity before it happens (with various warnings in recent years resulting in a rapid response to make the target as secure as possible) and arresting any suspects.
Daniel
P.S. If you have a spare moment offer your thoughts to those who have lost friends and family.
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