At least six seven four (?) explosions have hit the London mass transit system in central London at the height of the rush hour. Prime Minister Blair has spoken, will return to London to survey the situation, then return to the G8 summit in Scotland later today. Rescue operations underway in London subway system, double decker bus blown-up on city street. Television reports as of 12:20 PM London time (7:20 AM Eastern time) indicate al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility. Sky News reports (as of 12:40 PM) that a suicide bomber blew up the bus, which is the only picture we the press is showing at the moment (the other explosions are in the Tube).

In America, moonbats calling C-Span are already blaming "US murder of civilians in Iraq" for the bombings and comparing the terrorists to "fundamentalist Christians blowing up abortion clinics."

Tube stations hit: Aldgate East, Edgware Road, Kings Cross, Moorgate, Liverpool Street, Russell Square

Blast on bus at Tavistock Square

London explosions: timeline

0849 BST: First explosion occurs on the Metropolitan Line between Liverpool Street and Aldgate

0922: King's Cross and Edgware Road stations evacuated. Entire London Underground network evacuated soon after

0928: Metronet, a Tube maintenance company, reports that the explosions have been caused by a power surge

0933: Explosion reported at Edgware Road

0934: A police spokesman says there are "walking wounded" at Aldgate

0946: Explosions reported at King's Cross, Old Street and Russell Square Tube stations

0951: Scotland Yard declare a "major incident" on the London Underground. Overground trains are diverted from Moorgate to King's Cross

0952: A British Transport Police spokesman says that two Tube trains are stuck in tunnels near Edgware Road

0953: Rescue workers report several injuries at Edgware Road

1000: The National Grid reports that there has been no power surge that might have contributed to the incident

1013: Union officials report that there has been at least one explosive device on the London Underground

1016: Witnesses report an explosion on a bus at Russell Square

1019: Some mainline rail companies close lines in central London and terminate trains outside the capital. People are urged not to travel to London

1023: Scotland Yard says there are reports of an explosion at Moorgate

1035: Metropolitan Police confirm that there has been an explosion on a bus in Tavistock Square, near Russell Square in Central London

1120: The Army is patrolling the streets of Covent Garden

1130: Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, confirms that there have been six blasts in London and that traces of explosives have been found at at least one site

1138: A City of London Police spokeswoman confirms that two people have died at Aldgate

1139: A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman says that armed police and that Army have sealed off the area around the palace

1214: Tony Blair says that it is "reasonably clear" that the explosions were the result of terrorism

1216: Police have been called to Leicester Square Underground station, according to the London Ambulance Service

1224: Der Spiegel, a German news magazine, reports that responsibility for the attacks has been claimed by a group calling itself the "Secret Organisation Group of al-Qaeda of Jihad Organization in Europe" in a message posted on an unnamed website popular with Islamic militants

1234: Washington DC's underground system tightens security, sending armed police and sniffer dogs to patrol the network

1244: Police say that several people died in the bus bombing at Tavistock Square

1245: Police confirm "a number of fatalities" at Edgware Road Tube station

1256: The Home Secretary tells the House of Commons that "a number of terrorist attacks" have occurred in Central London, including at least four explosions. There was one explosion at Edgware Road Tube station, one on the Tube between Aldgate and Liverpool Street stations, one between Russell Square and King's Cross stations and one on a bus at Tavistock Square

1303: Brian Paddick, the deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, says that 150 people have been seriously injured. There was no specific warning about the attacks, he says

1341: President George W. Bush makes a televised statement to say that he has instructed the Department of Homeland Security to make sure that American are "extra vigilant"

Coverage of the story, as it breaks.
Reporters' Log: London explosions -- BBC (updates regularly)

6 Blasts Rock London, Killing at Least Two
SURVIVORS DESCRIBE TUBE EXPLOSIONS
Two killed in London explosions
UK's Blair set to leave G8 summit -- "All the leaders share our determination to defeat this terrorism." -- PM Tony Blair
BUS 'RIPPED IN TWO' -- "The top of the bus had clearly been blown off and looking at the wreckage it looks as if the bomb or whatever it was placed at the back of the top deck. People were using tables from a nearby hotel as a stretcher."
Bombs strike terror in London -- A Government spokesman has talked of 20 people dead in the incidents. A rescue operation is underway on the Underground at King's Cross station.
GROUP CLAIMS ATTACKS -- A terror group linked to al Qaeda has claimed it carried out a series of terror attacks on London that have left a number of people dead and hundreds injured.
London blasts fit al Qaeda-type pattern-analysts "The first thing that's very obvious is the synchronised nature of the attacks, and that's pretty classic for al Qaeda or al Qaeda-related organisations," said Budapest-based security analyst Sebestyen Gork.
Muslim leaders join condemnation"We are simply appalled and want to express our deepest condolences to the families. These terrorists, these evil peoplewant to demoralise us as a nation and divide us. All of must unite in helping the police to hunt these murderers down."
Text of Scotland Yard Statement -- They confirm only four explosive devices.
Text of Bush's Remarks on London Blasts"We will find them. We will bring them to justice. And at the same time we will spread an ideology of hope and compassion that will overwhelm their ideology of hate."

Interesting post from Powerline.

Michelle Malkin has pictures and other posts, including one regarding conflicting casualty figures.
Pictures from BBC, Instapunk & Flickr.

The Command Post has a blog roundup -- several British blogs included. Also, visit the UK Blog Aggregator.

Analysis of the attacks may be found at The Counterterrorism Blog.

Good commentary from Tim Blair on these threads on his site.

Now at least 37dead confirmed.

Iowa Voice is keeping a fine round-up of posts on the assault on our British allies.

Posted by: Greg at 12:25 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 1096 words, total size 9 kb.