down with murder inc

My sympathies go to all those affected by the events of 7 July 2005 and my admiration goes to the Emergency services, who have to deal with this act of lunacy. My admiration goes to the people of London for their reaction, of resolve, and comradery.
Many, young and old, from a range of ethnic backgrounds are still missing after the attacks. Relatives and friends have gone from hospital to hospital searching for clues. I hope you are found safe and well...

Early Report from Sky News:

TERROR ATTACKS IN LONDON

Last Updated: 04:30 UK, Friday July 08, 2005

Some 37 people have been confirmed dead and 700 were injured in a series of terror attacks on London. The death toll is expected to rise - some reports have said the toll is at least 52.

There are indications suicide bombers were involved and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the attacks bore the hallmarks of al Qaeda.

The first blast hit a train leaving Liverpool Street Station between Moorgate and Aldgate East at 8.51am. Seven people are confirmed dead in the blast.

At 8.56am another blast hit a train between King's Cross and Russell Square, killing 21 people.

Seven people were later killed in an explosion at Edgware Road Tube station at 9.17am. Three trains are believed to have been hit.

At 9.47am a number 30 bus at Upper Woburn Place was hit by a fourth blast. Emergency services have confirmed at least two people were killed in this attack.

Injured treated at Aldgate

London hospitals have reported a total of 300 wounded arriving by ambulance after the blasts.

The city remained chaotic into the evening as millions of people struggled to make their way home - and come to terms with the bombings.

A previously unknown group calling itself the "Secret Organisation al Qaeda in Europe" said it carried out the attacks as revenge for British "military massacres" in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Forensics experts are combing the bomb sites to locate any evidence.

Tony Blair flew back from the G8 summit in Scotland to take personal charge of the situation - describing the attacks as barbaric.

The Union Flag will be flown at half mast on all Government buildings on Friday in recognition of the loss of life. - sky.com/skynews

Early BBC Graphic showing 6 explosions

Strange initial panicked reports started coming in around 9:50 on the morning of 7th July: I watched BBC News 24
these are some of the first things reported:
Initially 6-7 explosions:
Edgware Rd
Russell Sq
[near] Kings Cross
Liverpool St
[near] Moorgate & Aldgate

it's not hard to see why...three of the stations are very near the actual ones hit...people were probably phoning from all of these stations

Initial reports also had 3 buses being attacked: 1 being the no. 477, it only came out later that it was the no.30

This is an early report from the scene of the first incident:

Several hurt as Tube 'power' blasts shut down network
07/07/2005 - 09:54:39
Several people were injured today after explosions blamed on a power surge closed down the entire London Underground network. Passengers spoke of hearing a "huge thud" in one of the incidents at Edgware Road station. Travellers emerged from tunnels covered in blood and soot.
Emergency services reported several injuries.
Scotland Yard declared the emergency a "major incident".
A British Transport Police (BTP) spokesman said that two trains remain stuck in tunnels at Edgware Road, but it is not known if they have collided or if passengers remain onboard.
"It's difficult to know exactly what is going on at the moment," he said. "The initial report came from Liverpool Street, but there are incidents occurring across the network." He said that officers have been sent into the network to assist with rescue operations. "Officers are working at tunnel and platform level to help get people out and to help find out what has happened," he said.
Mainline train company First Great Western said its services into London's Paddington station were terminating at Reading in Berkshire because of the Underground crisis. British Transport Police said power surge incidents, some of which caused explosions, occurred at Aldgate, Edgware Road, King's Cross, Old Street and Russell Square. A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: "We have just sent some resources out to the scene. We have sent a number of vehicles to Liverpool Street station."
BTP confirmed that there are "walking wounded" and said paramedics have responded to one report of a person classed as "life at risk". "There are walking wounded, but that is as much as we know at the moment," said the spokesman. He confirmed that the first incident took place on the Metropolitan Line between Aldgate and Liverpool Street and said the line has been evacuated.
British Transport Police said work is being carried out to establish the precise cause of the problem. "It's chaos, with people trying to work out what has happened," said a spokesman. "All we know at the moment is that staff reported a loud bang at 8.49am. "No one is sure what caused an explosion, but it is thought it could have been a collision, a power cut, or a power cable problem."
A London Fire Brigade spokeswoman: "We have been called to two explosions, one at Aldgate and one at Edgware Road. We have no other information at the moment. Reports are still coming in."
According to Tube infrastructure company Metronet, which is responsible for maintaining the Metropolitan line, today's incident was caused "by some kind of power surge". A spokesman went on: "We don't know the extent of the problem yet."
The incident caused major disruption to the entire network with stations across the capital being closed. Passengers were told that all services were being suspended because of a power fault across the network. One commuter whose train was diverted because of the chaos said travellers were told there had been a crash involving Tube trains near King's Cross station.
"The area is solid with people and I have seen many commuters with blackened faces just walking around looking stunned," said Gerard Bithell.
His overground train was diverted from Moorgate to King's Cross because the station was closed.
"We were told there had been a power failure at Moorgate and some kind of accident at King's Cross," he said.
Passengers involved in the Metropolitan Line explosion at Edgware Road are reported to have attempted to smash the windows of their Tube carriages with umbrellas in an attempt to escape. Police are thought to have been sent into tunnels to evacuate people along the tracks.
Bradley Anderson told Sky News that he was involved in the Edgware Road incident on a Circle line train. He said: "We just left Paddington station. About 15 seconds later there was some kind of explosion and we collided with another train. "We were heading into the station when there was some kind of explosion or something. "Everything went black and we collided into some kind of oncoming train. "There was debris all over the trains. They evacuated us."
The National Grid, which supplies power to the Underground, said there had been no problems with its system this morning which could have contributed to the incidents. Scotland Yard said they are assisting with what has been termed a ``major incident'' and confirmed there have been casualties.
A spokesman said officers were called out to Aldgate station at 8.50am to assist City of London and British Transport Police.
"All of the emergency services are on scene. There have been some casualties. This has been declared as a major incident," said the spokesman. "Too early to state what has happened at this stage."
A witness who said he was on a train hit by an explosion told Sky News he saw people covered in blood in a carriage.
"People were covered in blood," said the passenger. - IOL

There are rumours that all Londons online traffic
cameras went offline due to a power surge.
The Cell Phone Network went offline.

Dalek reads the news:
"There have this morning been a number of terrorist attacks in central London. The situation is developing and I am not yet in a position to give a conclusive account of all that has happened ...I want to begin by expressing on behalf of the whole country our sympathy for those injured and the friends and families of those who have died. I am not in a position at this time to give precise details, but what I can say is that four explosions have been confirmed. First on a Tube train between Aldgate East and Liverpool Street; second on a bus in Woburn Place; third on a Tube train between Russell Square and King's Cross: and fourth on a Tube train at Edgware Road station. As yet we do not know who or which organisations are responsible for these criminal and appalling acts. Nothing has been ruled out, nothing has been ruled in as to the likely identity or the nature of the perpetrators of these crimes." - IOL

The 'Witness statements'

From 'The Scotsman'
Tavistock Square bus
"The explosion seemed to be at the back of the bus. The roof flew off and went up about 10 metres. It then floated back down. There were obviously people badly injured. A parking attendant said he thought a piece of human flesh had landed on his arm." - Raj Mattoo, 35
There must be a lot of people dead as all the buses were packed, they had been turning people away from the tube stops
"It was the loudest explosion I have ever heard. I have been in the military and I've never heard anything like it before. But the whole incident was screened by trees in front of the hotel which maybe protected us from any blast." - Franklin Burney, 70, American tourist,
"I was on the bus in front and heard an incredible bang, I turned round and half the double decker bus was in the air. It was a massive explosion and there were papers and half a bus flying through the air. There must be a lot of people dead as all the buses were packed, they had been turning people away from the tube stops. - Belinda Seabrook
"I heard a bang, a thudding deep sound. There was a big cloud of grey smoke. I was about 250 metres away at the time and I stopped dead in my tracks and didn't go any further. The bus was just splintered metal, and it was all bent over. The top part of the bus was completely exposed, as if the roof had been ripped off it.
"There was a bit of panic going on, a few screams and shouts, but there wasn't massive panic. The police were already there because of what was happening on the tubes and quickly got things under control." - Andrew Childes, 36, cycle courier
"It was terrible. The bus went to pieces. There were so many bodies on the floor. The back was completely gone, it was blown off completely and a dead body was hanging out and there were dead bodies on the road, it was a horrible thing." - Mr Ayobami Bello, 46, security guard
Edgware Road
"We just left Paddington station. About 15 seconds later there was some kind of explosion and we collided with another train. We were heading into the station when there was some kind of explosion or something. Everything went black and we collided into some kind of oncoming train. There was debris all over the trains." - Bradley Anderson
"All of sudden there was this massive huge bang. It was absolutely deafening and all the windows shattered. The train came to a grinding halt, everyone fell off their seats. There were just loads of people screaming and the carriages filled with smoke, you couldn't really breathe and you couldn't see what was happening. The driver came on the Tannoy and said 'We have got a problem, don't panic'.
"You could see the carriage opposite was completely gutted. There were some people in real trouble." - Simon Corvett, 26.
"I didn't really get upset until I managed to get out of our carriage and looked down the track and saw the carriage opposite. It was completely destroyed and there was smoke everywhere – thank God there wasn't a fire as people would have been trapped." - Kelly Maher, 28, PA
"There was just an enormous bang and a lot of smoke. A group of us got fire extinguishers and were able to smash through the carriage door and I now just feel totally numb." - Simon Tonkyn, 51, IT manager
"I just experienced a huge explosion and the glass hitting me in my back. People started screaming around me, there was glass everywhere, we couldn't breathe, there was no way to get off the train. I was in the front of the first carriage and there was a huge, massive hole in the carriage. As I went past the second carriage I could just see the bodies lying all over the floor." - Marcin Stefanski, 24, student
Aldgate East
"There was a loud bang and the train ground to a halt. People started panicking, screaming and crying as smoke came into the carriage. A man told everyone to be calm and we were led to safety along the track. Everyone was terrified when it happened. When they led us to safety, I went past the carriage where I think the explosion was. It was the second one from the front. The metal was all blown outwards and there were people inside being helped by paramedics. One guy was being tended outside on the track. His clothes were torn off and he seemed pretty badly burned." - Arash Kazerouni, 22
"I think some people may have died. The blast had pulled some people's clothes off. I was on the train and there was a fire outside the carriage window and then there was a sudden jolt which shook us forward. The explosion was behind me. Some people took charge. We went out of the back of the carriage. A carriage was split in two, all jagged, and without a roof, just open. I saw bodies, I think." - Sarah Reid, 23, student
- scotsman.com

From Channel 4
London Blasts: Eye-witness reports Published: 7 Jul 2005 By: Channel 4 News
Every time we go into a situation like this we don't know what we're walking into... by Inspector Ray Shields, British Transport Police
We were the first on the scene at King's Cross. When we arrived there were an awful lot of people exiting from the station... there were people all over the place with a lot of soot and dust on them, some minor injuries that were received from the blast. We did our best to corral people and move them into the booking area where we set up a casualty clearing area... once we'd set people up here and called the ambulances, my sergeant and myself went back down into the underground. On the Piccadilly line there were a lot of people very distressed and suffering from injuries so we got them back out into some fresh air and where they could be tended to. You've always got to consider the threat of a chemical or biological attack. Every time we go into a situation like this we don't know what we're walking into, so we are looking for signs all the time of something else. When it comes down to the bottom line of having to rescue people it becomes secondary and you worry about the consequences perhaps afterwards. It became apparent fairly quickly on the train that the death toll here would be extensive. There was an awful lot of people in one carriage where I think the vast majority of them died.
Her hair was burnt, face brown with soot and streaked with blood...by Hamish Macdonald, Channel 4 News
It was chilly outside and with rain spitting constantly, it was a characteristically dissapointing summer's day in London. But the city was in a good mood. The English, not known for their public displays of excitement, were cheering in the streets when the capital officially became the Olympic city yesterday. And as tube commuters read the morning papers, full of glee at beating the French to host the 2012 games, there was no indication that today would be one of the city's worst. Our north-bound northern line train halted just outside of King Cross station after skipping the four previous stops. We were evacuated out of the drivers door, only to be met by hundreds of bloody, burnt and distraught passengers streaming off the Picadilly line train which had just been attacked. I met Caroline, trendy and in her mid-twenties. Her hair was burnt, her face - brown with soot and streaked with blood. She was crying and wanted to know if her face had been disfigured. It had not. I helped her up the escalators towards a triage area which had been set up for injured passengers. There was too many people for the First Aid workers to cope. Someone was handing out water. Caroline wanted a tissue to clean her face. She used my mobile phone to call her brother who worked around the corner, but the networks were jammed. Finally we managed to get through and she broke down, unable to explain where she was. The passengers we met, spoke of a loud blast, a flash of light and a smoke filled carriage. Most thought it was an electrical fault or a crash, but emerging from Kings Cross station, where the drizzle had subsided momentarily, it became apparent that this was something more. The newspaper headlines this morning brought us a rare good-news story, one which filled us all with expectation and hope. Tomorrow we will read of a tragic event. Channel 4
just check that again: a major news channel run by ITN has eyewitness acounts, one from a Transport Policeman and one from an employee...heres another from a channel 4 employee
Nurses on the street bandages and syringes in hand by Felicity Spector, Channel 4 News
I was trying to get from camden to ITN at around 10am and walked past Kings Cross, Euston, Russell Square and Upper Woburn Place. There were hundreds of people running down cordoned off streets and police waving madly at everyone to get further out of the way. There were masses of emergency vehicles pouring into the Russell Square area and as I finally managed to get as far as Great Ormond Street, dozens of hospital staff passed me running towards the site of the bus blast carrying armfuls of bandages, syringes and other medical supplies.
"You are my daughter's hero" by Daniel Hendersen, New Zealand tourist
We are tourists from New Zealand and were in hysterics when we heard the blast from the underground where we were waiting to collect our two youngsters from a day out in the city. It seemed like days waiting for the emergency services to tell us what was going on. We were so frightened. We are so grateful for all the excellent work by the emergency services so many we can't remember everyone helping except one AMERICAN SECURITY GUARD by name of MARCUS SUITOR because he brought our seven year old out from the subway. She was frightened and crying but she was safe. I don't know who you are or where you came from Marcus but I thank you for my daughters life. I thank you and may God bless you. You are my daughter's hero. Today was a terrible, terrible day but it was also the day you brought my family back
Twenty metres away from the "packed" bus by Belinda Seabrook, eye-witness
The bus was travelling from Euston to Russell Square and had been packed with people turned away from Tube stops. It was a massive explosion and there were papers and half a bus flying through the air, I think it was the number 205. There must be a lot of people dead as all the buses were packed, they had been turning people away from the tube stops. We were about 20 metres away, that was all.
The roof flew off and went up about 10 metres Raj Mattoo, eye-witness
I was standing on a corner when the bus exploded nearby. The explosion seemed to be at the back of the bus. The roof flew off and went up about 10 metres. It then floated back down. I shouted at the passengers to get off the bus. They went into Tavistock Park nearby. There were obviously people badly injured. A parking attendant said he thought a piece of human flesh had landed on his arm.
heres another from a channel 4 employee
A call to the newsroom confirmed the blasts and I proceeded on foot by Saptarshi Ray, Channel 4 News
9.15am. I left home having seen a 'suspected power failure' as being the cause of an explosion at Liverpool Street station but by the time I reached Elephant and Castle it was clear something more serious had occurred. Two bus drivers told me that no buses were being allowed into central London after a bus explosion. All of which explained why the driver on the bus I'd just been on stopped in the middle of a street and checked the aisles. A call to the newsroom confirmed the blasts and I proceeded on foot. As I walked over Blackfriars bridge, people were frustrated as their mobiles were not working, news spreading of more explosions. Queues started forming at phone boxes and people openly asked others on the street if they knew any more. Empty buses sailed through the streets around Ludgate Circus, being called back to their depots and every fourth vehicle was some form of emergency service. People looked worried and bemused, many asking aloud whether there are enough police in the capital to deal with the problem with the G8 summit on in Edinburgh. The overall question was: is there more to come?
Jack Linton of Essex is 14. he tells his story:
The blast had thrown me to the floor the bang was so loud this caused my ear to hurt, and I could see bright sparks and fire. I thought I was going to die, that's all Icould think of. Slowly thick smoke entered the carriage and it was hard to breathe. I was scared, everyone got on the floor so it was easier to breathe. I had my tie over my mouth, where the glass had smashed, it had entered my pockets and my hair. People tried to open the doors but they would only open about a foot, people started to cry even more which made me upset never thought I would get out. After about 20 minutes, the services came for us, the central doors of the train were opened and people less hurt moved down the train to exit. Their faces were so hurt I could not believe what I was seeing, it was like something of a film. My nose was hurt where the glass had smashed into it. Once these people had moved down we started to move down, people were looking at us in shock. My face and hands was full of soot, at the end fire crew lifed me off and then we had to start to walk down the track. It was horrible, we had to walk past the carriage which the bomb was. It was a awlful sight. I didn't believe what I was seeing, the carriage was like a shell which was all gone, there were bodies on the track. By this time, I began to cry but just kept walking back up to the top of Aldgate station. It is something I will never forget.

From 'The Gaurdian:
John Sandy writes:
I was on the southbound Piccadilly line, between King's Cross and Russell Square this morning, when the incident occurred. At just after nine, there was an almighty bang and the train came to a sudden stop. The lights in the carriage went out and the air became thick with dust and soot. As people started to panic, I turned to the man on my right and asked his name. He said he was Mark and he worked in HR. Then I asked the same of the girl on my left. Her name was Emma and she too worked in HR. Mark and Emma then began to talk to each other and we started to reassure the other passengers around us that everything would be ok. We left the train within around half an hour. I feel very lucky. The emergency services got everyone they could out in a calm and safe way but I would like to praise Mark and Emma for being so level-headed.
Jo Herbert writes:
I'm fine, but I was in a tube at King's Cross when when one of the explosions happened. I was stuck in a smoke-filled, blackened tube that reeked of burning for over 30 minutes. So many people were hysterical. I truly thought I was going to die and was just hoping it would be from smoke inhalation and not fire. I felt genuine fear but kept calm (and quite proud of myself for that). Eventually people smashed through the windows and we were lifted out all walked up the tunnel to the station. There was chaos outside and I started to walk down Euston Road (my face and clothes were black) towards work and all of a sudden there was another huge bang and people started running up the road in the opposite direction to where I was walking and screaming and crying. I now realise this must have been one of the buses exploding.
Matina Zoulia writes:
I was on Victoria Line at about 9.10 this morning. Then the announcement came that the train was not stopping at King's Cross or Euston. I thought that it was a routine delay, it happens all the time. And then the announcement came as we were stuck at King's Cross station that we should all come out. We all took our time. It happens all the time. As I was going towards the exit there was this smell. Like burning hair. And then the people starting walking out, soot and blood on their faces. And then this woman's face. Half of it covered in blood. How can you just carry on with your day?
Liam Vaughan writes:
Really insane and surreal day. My office is literally round the corner from where some of the blasts took place and I have spent the morning trying to make sure my friends are OK. I think they are, but the mobile phone networks are down so I haven't been able to confirm. There is no major panic here, just an underlying sense of confusion and despondency. Nobody is communicating and certainly nobody is able to concentrate on work. I guess it's a delayed sense of shock. Perhaps most disconcerting is that the police have instructed everyone to remain in their building and not try to leave the City. Apparently, police are not allowing people to enter either. In the eye of the storm, I guess. All public transport has been stopped so everyone will be walking home - from my window I can see people walking purposefully, but the streets are generally quite desolate, presumably because people either aren't in the City or they are not leaving the office. I guess people will be talking about this for years to come and yet it all seems strangely ethereal and distant. What strikes me is that places like Israel live like this on a day-to-day basis. It's all so random that maybe 20 out of all the thousands, possibly millions of commuters in the capital today were killed. There is also the underlying fear that this is not it - that later today or tomorrow or in weeks to come it will happen again. There is always that nagging fear as a Londoner and particularly as one that works in the financial centre of the capital, that you are in a dangerous place and that you are gambling with your life every time you get on at Bank, or Liverpool Street or any of the major tube stations. I always get the bus, but buses have been blown up as well, stripping any reassurance that it is somehow safer. Just received confirmation from a couple of friends. Just one to get in touch now who works near Aldgate. I'm sure he is fine. Statistically the chances of him being one of the few are small. And so we wait.
Richard South writes:
"I was on a Piccadilly line tube train in between King's Cross and Russell Square, about 8.45 this morning. There was a sudden explosion, the train stopped immediately in the middle of the tunnel and the power went out. The explosion didn't sound like a bomb, more a loud power surge - but almost straight away our packed carriage started to fill with smoke, and people panicked immediately. Thankfully there were some level-headed people on the carriage who managed to calm everyone down - we didn't hear anything for about 20 minutes, and although we were choking on smoke it seemed to be getting better, not worse, so we stayed on the train. Eventually someone official-looking appeared outside, and told us the live rail was off, and that it was clear. We walked down the tunnel to the platform at King's Cross and climbed up. We had no idea at this point that it was anything other than an isolated accident, but it was terrifying nonetheless. No one was really control at the station exit - we all just wandered out onto the street as we could.
John Kelly writes:
"I was on the way to work today. The tube was down so I had to take the bus. They said something about a power outage so I had to get out at Waterloo. I got on the number 68 which didn't take me to Camden(where I work) but took me to Euston, which is pretty close. I was about five minutes from Euston when we got stuck in traffic. I decided that, as it was pretty much deadlock, I would get out and walk. The streets were full of people which was pretty normal considering the problems with the tube. "As I was heading toward Euston I heard a bang behind me, turning round I saw a huge cloud of smoke and what looked like a flat bedded truck that was mangled and twisted somehow. I knew straight away that it was a bomb. "Everyone started running and screaming. I did the same and just tried to get away. Everyone was coming out of their offices to find out what was going on. just kept going, I went up to some builders who were coming out of their site and told them what was going on and they started running and then heard them talk about how they were getting out of here."
Rob Williams writes:
"I'm sitting here in safety in a Home Office department thinking that today started for me as a normal day. One like any other. This morning I got off at Vauxhall and jumped on a bus to finish my journey at Millbank, completely oblivious to the fact that just half a mile away the city was in chaos. "My view of the world as I sit at my desk is one of a deathly silence, punctuated by a blur of white emergency vehicles and piercing sirens. We have been asked to shut our windows, and I am wondering if the Home Office bomb curtains that stand between myself and a possible window blast will be able to hold out if my building were to be targeted. "I simply think of myself as one of the lucky ones; lucky to be working today in a part of the city that seems to be unscathed. But I know that it could have been Vauxhall, St James', Westminster, or Victoria that could have been the targets. The bus, ripped apart at Russell Square could have been the one I passed walking home over Lambeth Bridge yesterday. My friend has just emailed me saying that she actually heard the blast of the Russell Square bus bomb from her office desk and I feel glad she's ok, and that she got in early to work today. She's very lucky and knows it. "My heart goes out to anyone directly affected by this.
Chris Morrish writes: I was on the southbound platform of the Northern Line at Old Street at 8.30, ready to go one stop to Moorgate and then get the Metropolitan line to Aldgate, as I have done every day for the last ten months. For some reason, I saw that it was a 6-minute wait for a tube (not unusual) and thought, "Forget it, I'll get out here at Old Street and walk to Aldgate". This is only the second time in ten months that I've done this and I have no idea why I did today but I'm very glad. I would almost certainly have been at Aldgate at 8.49. My thoughts are with the people who were not so lucky.
- guardian.co.uk

Yet another unsuitable image?

Tube driver 'luckiest man alive'

11/07/2005 - A Tube driver told today how he felt "the luckiest man alive" after his service was spared serious damage when a device tore apart a neighbouring train in the London terror blasts. Jeff Porter had been driving the Circle line service into Edgware Road station at 8.53am on Thursday as a bomb exploded, destroying a train only inches away. He told BBC`s Breakfast how his windscreen shattered and he saw a blinding flash of light but did not hear the bomb sound.
He said: "I was coming into Edgware Road station, as I do every morning. "There was a train at the platform in front of me, coming the other way. "As the driver`s cab was just passing mine I saw a bright yellow light on the train on the other side. "It was like it happened in slow motion in my mind. As the other train passed me my windscreen shattered. "There was smoke and dust everywhere. The tunnel lights came on. "I was confused and just wondered what had happened. I didn`t hear a bang or a boom."
Mr Porter quickly realised the seriousness of the situation and began evacuating his passengers through the driver`s cab of his packed train. One passenger recorded the evacuation on his mobile phone. Mr Porter can be heard urging terrified commuters to "Stay calm" as he rushed them off the train.
He added: "The training kicked in straight away to know what to do to get the train evacuated and to look after these 1,000 passengers who were on the train and get them to safety. "I must be the luckiest man alive. If it had been a second later that the explosion happened, I wouldn`t be here speaking to you. "We were so lucky the blast happened when it did and not one to 10 seconds afterwards because the casualty numbers would have been doubled. "If it was a second later, all the debris that was on the track in front of my train would have been blown into the carriage and the casualty list would have been twice as heavy." - u.tv/newsroom

This is some of the only testimony I can find with reference to when the tube train departed "I was in carriage one on the Edgware Road train and I am physically OK. I bought a ticket at Edgware Road at 0843 and was on the train after five to six minutes. Thirty seconds after leaving the station there was a blast. London Underground Staff were wonderful and had to deal with everything for 30 minutes before any paramedics arrived. Staff in Marks and Spencer and at the Hilton hotel were just wonderful. They were looking after everyone." - GRAHAM HOLDING
even better, they had their ticket scanned in for the news...just in case you don't believe them

I was on the train between King's Cross and Russell Square. There was a loud bang just about 100m [328 feet] out from King's Cross.
The carriage filled with thick black smoke and plunged into darkness briefly. A few people freaked out but generally everyone was calm thinking it was a power surge. I had no idea that it was a terrorist attack. We evacuated out the back of the train about 30 minutes after being trapped. The smoke made us think it was a fire at first but then the smoke didn't seem to increase and people thought it was just dust thrown up by the blast. The carriage was packed and claustrophobic. - GURVINDER MAHL
As we left King's Cross, about 0855, there was an almighty bang and everything went totally black. - RACHEL MCFAYDEN BBC Witnesses

I had just got on to the westbound Circle Line train, second rear carriage, at Liverpool St Station. The explosion seemed to come out of the tunnel leading from Aldgate.
There was dust and smoke in the air. I thought a bomb had gone off in the rear carriage but couldn't see any damage to it.
Then people started to evacuate quickly after a few moments. I didn't see any injured people though.
There was no real panic - just a overwhelming sense to get out of the station quickly. - MICHAEL WREN

13 people were killed in the
Tavistock Place bus explosion.

07/07, London Under Attack - Eyewitness reports
Several people have been injured after a series of explosions, initially blamed on power surges, led to the whole London Underground network being closed down. Eyewitnesses tell what they have seen and heard from around the capital.

DAVID JONES, TAVISTOCK SQUARE Suddenly there was this thud, people on the bus suddenly said there's been an explosion behind us and people rushed to the front of the bus. I said to people not to panic, keep calm. People evacuated our bus. There was not a lot of fire, but there was a lot of smell of an explosion and at that point people wanted to walk away from what they had seen. There was no glass falling, there was nothing but there was a thud and the roof had come off. I suppose to be honest, my first thought was G8, Olympics, somebody does not want London to celebrate.
BELINDA SEABROOK, RUSSELL SQUARE I was on the bus in front and heard an incredible bang, I turned round and half the double decker bus was in the air. It was a massive explosion and there were papers and half a bus flying through the air, I think it was the number 205. There must be a lot of people dead as all the buses were packed, they had been turning people away from the tube stops. We were about 20 metres away, that was all. - egyptelection.com

Passengers told of 'power failure'
"At ten to nine, southbound on the Piccadilly line between King's Cross and Russell Square, my train was derailed. Obviously a derailment is rather scary but we hadn't heard anything about terrorism or anything like that at the time. There was a flash and a bang (not a big one, I doubt the train I was on was the one that took the direct hit of a bomb) and the train stopped surprisingly quickly.
Smoke was everywhere so we were a little concerned about fire but it soon became clear that there was none so we just stayed put and waited for someone to tell us what to do! No one in my carriage panicked which is quite surprising as the smoke was really thick and nasty, everyone was breathing through shirts and tissues. We were stuck on the train for about 25 minutes before an official came and told us what was going on, and we evacuated quite calmly. I don't know what happened up at the front of the train though. "
Alexander Chadwick, Enfield, London, UK - BBC comments

In this image provided by commuter Alexander Chadwick, taken on his mobile phone camera, passengers are evacuated from an underground train in a tunnel near Kings Cross station in London, Thursday, July 7, 2005. At least 33 people were killed Thursday in three explosions in London's subway system, a senior police official said. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick said others died in an explosion on a bus in central London but gave no figures. The second blast, at 8:56 a.m. (0756GMT), in the King's Cross area of north London, killed 21, Paddick said. (AP Photo / Alexander Chadwick)

The Times Of India gets it wrong?: Explosions on 3 buses?
...bus explosion rocked at central London at 10:14 am. At 10:25 am, Police confirmed explosion on bus in central London in the area around Russell Square. And at 10:33 am police confirmed that at least three explosions had taken place in buses in central London. - [still looking for newsclip so here is where i heard it]

Inappropriate picture
of the day

has since been
changed to this

"We were held at Kings Cross Station for about 20 minutes, stuck inside the tube. The station had already been evacuated but they wouldn't let us off. When we were finally evacuated, Kings Cross area was bedlam. I tried to get on a bus, no chance! Decided to walk to work instead and when I got to around the Euston Square area there was a massive explosion in the road next to me. People were running away screaming and in shock-it was terrifying. I later found out that this was the bus explosion. We're now being held in our offices and provisions are being made for us to stay here overnight" - Sasha Hudson, London - BBC comments

Gloryfiing terror? Surely not?

Numerous witnesses have told how the suspected terrorist blasts in London unfolded. Following is a collection of some of their perspectives. without any reference to when it happened...
Bear in mind this is from an Australian NewsSite & therefore for an Austraian readership
Notice also the ex Army Officer who mentions how Bali cost him his marriage

Virginia Crompton was close to the explosion on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square: "I decided given the scale of the chaos, it was best to walk to work and head towards town, I've just gone through Russel Square and turned onto Gordon Square, where I heard a huge explosion very close by. "I turned into Gordon Square Gardens which is where I am now and two men run past me who had witnessed what they said was a bus being blown up. "They described the roof coming out and I said, 'do you think anyone was hurt' and they said 'yes, definitely'."

Raj Mattoo saw the bus explosion:"The explosion seemed to be at the back of the bus. The roof flew off and went up about 10 metres. It then floated back down. "I shouted at the passengers to get off the bus. They went into Tavistock Park nearby. There were obviously people badly injured."

A receptionist at the Tavistock Hotel, Sam Elliott: "People were running in, some obviously injured. One man was being carried by other passengers. We just did not know what had happened."

Steve Spence was travelling on one of the trains which was hit: "I was on an outer circle train - going from Paddington from Edgware Road. "There was a big flash, a loud bang and lots of smoke and there was a train on the other track - it had stopped as well, lots of screaming. "When we evacuated the train, the front of my train was smashed up and there was lots of debris from the other train on the track."

Michael Hennings, one of the passengers on the train from Liverpool Street, said there was a lot of panic in the darkness: "I thought I wasn't going to get out of this, whatever it was, I didn't know. I just thought that was it when it went all so dark."Then I touched my hands to my face and felt blood and felt that it wasn't all over just yet. "Initially there was silence in the darkness and then the tunnel lights came on, so there was a little bit of light and then there was an awful lot of panic and a lot of screaming."
Another man who was on one of the trains said many people panicked when the bomb exploded "People were screaming, fighting and then more and more smoke came in and people started saying their last prayers as it were, their last messages to their loved ones. "People then became more and more agitated thinking they were going to die."

Australian tourist Trent Mongan, whose family lives in Brisbane, had just left Kings Cross Station when one of the blasts occurred. The former Army officer, who narrowly escaped the Bali bombing, said the events had brought back painful memories for him: "Bali cost me my marriage because I couldn't cope with it very well. I just can't believe it has happened to me again. "I'm dumbfounded, I'm shocked, amazed, upset, angry."

Queenslander Nicole Jackson said a blast happened outside the hotel where she works near Edgware Road Station. She said some of the wounded were seeking help in the hotel lobby: "I think we're all in shock at the moment and I know I am. "It's just, you think about this happening, not every day but it is in the back of your mind and then when it does like - oh my Lord, what's going on, especially when it's the station you're going to every day - so not nice."

The BBC's Jill McGivering was at the Russell Square tube station: "Police here are refusing to confirm what's happened but an eyewitness described a loud bang and black smoke rising from a bus just across the road from the Russell Square underground station. "She said she didn't see casualties but just kept using the expression 'it's carnage. it's carnage'."
One commuter at King's Cross station, Glenn Scheldrake, a 39-year-old electrical engineer, said he had stopped at a pub about halfway through his walk home after the blasts: "I stopped for a little light refreshment after walking for an hour ... other people had the same idea. "People will be a little bit worried about using public transport right now. But in general they were just getting on with their business."

Thomas Carr, a 63-year-old electrician who had a two-hour walk home, said he would keep using the underground: "It won't put me off using the Tube. You can't let them beat you."

Get a load of this: [this is an excerpt]

Wed 13 Jul 2005 - Police believe the bombers may have been attempting to spread terror north, east, south and west from King's Cross. One bomb (Aldgate) was taken east, a second (Russell Square) went south and a third (Edgware Road) was going west. They believe the fourth device - which exploded on the No 30 bus - may actually have been intended to go north on the northern line.
The 19-year-old bomber, Hasib Hussain, was foiled because the line was shut due to a defective train.
[note: I wouldn't call what happened a 'foiled plot...would you...]
The theory relates to the statement claiming responsibility for the bombings posted online by the previously unknown secret organisation group of al-Qaida of Jihad Organisation in Europe. [my note: er....This was traced to a webserver in TEXAS]
The statement, which has not been authenticated by police, read: "Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern and western quarters."
The four bombers all set off from King's Cross on to the underground around 8.30am. However, the Northern Line had been suspended since 6.30am because of a defective train at Balham.
Hussain, who is unlikely to have known London, may have panicked and left the station before boarding the No 30 bus. It is not known why the bomb exploded almost an hour later than the others. It may be because the suicide rucksacks, packed with explosives, were self-detonated.
Police are convinced that the four bombers did not act alone and believe whoever was the "controlling hand" behind them may have escaped the country shortly before last Thursday's attacks. - scotsman.com

update: 16th July - The page now contains referances to 'a burning cross' - the news media are revising history to suit it's agenda...and hide original statements and blind assertions...

That's some Security source!!!
"The four bombers all set off from King's Cross on to the underground around 8.30am. However, the Northern Line had been suspended since 6.30am because of a defective train at Balham. "
The entire Northern line was shut for 2 hours???? because a train in Balham which is in the far south was defective?

there are two branches of the Northern line...
one goes to the High Barnet station the other up towards Edgware see this map [the northern line is black]
I still dont get why the bus was chosen. The bomber could have used the Picadilly line or the Victoria line...they all converge at Kings Cross and take you to the north-east area of London also Highbury...Tottenham...Holloway Rd, & Finsbury Park, which is a famous area to Muslim fanatics, thanks to Muslim cleric Abu Hamza

what a strange co-incidence that these lines were all closed down due to some sort of 'emergency' way before the 'bombers were even in London

more forum postings

The story only makes sense if these e-mails to David Ickes site are true

Rumours? Urban Myths?
Correspondence on the London Evening Standard Internet Forum from two people who travelled by tube on the morning of the London bombings:
Hi everyone, Did anyone travelling in BEFORE the attacks began yesterday notice anything peculiar on their tube journey?

I catch the Piccadilly line at 7.15am each morning from Southgate to reach my work in Kensington by 8.00. Normally, all seats are taken by Finsbury Park and carriages are packed by Kings Cross.

However, yesterday my tube journey was eerily quiet. For the first time ever there were spare seats in my carriage all the way through zone 1. It was noticeable enough for me to wonder what on earth was going on. This was at 7.45 - over an hour before attacks began.

I've also heard people saying that the Northern Line was being shut down at the same time. Is there something that we're not being told?
I was due to pick a work colleague up from balham at 7:15am, but when I got there I was greeted with Tube emergency vans, police and and hoards of people being turned away from a closed station.All very strange they must have known something was going to happen, they surely had a tip off. As I drove along the road, (which also follows the tubes) they were all shut and hundreds of people were queuing for buses.
When I reached Oval, which was open there were two armed policemen in a road next to the station, which for a quiet area like that is extremely rare. The northern line was shut from Morden to Stockwell.
They blatantly knew something was going down, they just got it wrong and are hoping no one mentions anything.

thisislondon.co.uk

Rumour? or Truth? People are waking up... from e-mails sent to David Icke
WHOLE Northern line down

Hi David,

In response to the postings which asked if anyone experienced anything strange on Thursday morning - I got to Clapham North tube (Northern line -same as Kings Cross) and the whole line was down - at 8:15am! Usually there are problems with this line, but in my 4 years in London I cannot last remember when the entire line was shut down. Very strange indeed ...

Regards

Kirsty (K)

suspected fire on Picaddily line - closed 8am -

Hi David,

Just wanted to share some thoughts on the bombing of the Piccadilly line with you. The morning of the attack I had overslept by a half hour and was running late for work. I raced down to Arnos Grove station checking my watch as I went, and I had got there at 8:20am.
I was expecting a bollocking at work due to my poor timekeeping but what I was not expecting was an absolute mass of bewildered looking sheeple milling around outside wondering how on earth they were going to get to work on time.

I checked the information board inside the station and posted there at a little past 8:00 was a message informing everyone that there was no service on the Piccadilly line from Cockfosters to Kings Cross as there was a suspected fire!

Now all of this happened before my arrival at 8:20, so my question is what the hell was going from 8 until 8.50 - the time of the bombs detonation? Why was the station closed at that point? Who reported the suspected fire? I guess these are just rhetorical questions because I wouldn't expect an answer from London underground or anyone else for that matter. Hope this is of some interest.

infinite love,

Lorenzo

Picaddily line - closed 8am - Passengers diverted

David,

I am a London bus driver and worked part of Thursday 7th July. I can confirm bus drivers were told just before 8.00am, via radios in their cabs, of a fire alert at Caledonian Road Tube Station on the Piccadilly Line. We were asked to carry passengers in the area and accept thier tickets. This is standard procedure when tube stations close and this sort of request is very much part of our job.

Quite what the 'fire alert' entailed that day is now the key question to be answered. Bus drivers were then told at 8.30am approx that honouring the tickets no longer applied. Back to normal. The fateful train to Russell Square would have passed through Caledonian Road not long after this.

The next stop on the Piccadilly Line southbound after Caledonian Road tube station is Kings Cross and then Russell Square. Closure of Caledonian Road due to a 'fire' would have also caused closures back up the line, as the Arnos Grove Station account on your website demonstrates. There would of course been a build up of people as well. This meant that from 8.30am approx and for some time after there would have been an even more concentration of people going in and out of Kings Cross and along other lines than normal.

I will try and get some thoughts together on one or two other matters.

Love

Policeman gives warning...Troops storm office building...

Good afternoon David.

Firstly, thank you for your efforts in bringing us the information you have on your site and your dedication to uncovering the agenda. I have a friend who works in the retail industry and as you would imagine, the topic of conversation with customers has very much been on the subject of the London bombings. He had a couple of interesting stories relayed to him, which tell as follows.

1. One chap was entering Kings Cross when a policeman came running out in front of him. The officer told him to get away quick, as a bomb was about to go off. 30 seconds later, he heard an explosion. How did the policeman know?

2. An office worker in the city was present when army officials burst into the building and told everyone to get down. They proceeded to guard the building and not let anyone out. This office worker was able to look up and see the army pointing guns at a chap outside the door and taking him away.

The troops then left as quickly as they had arrived.

I found these stories to be of interest, as they don't appear anywhere in the media and nor are they likely to. I would very much like other people to know these stories.

Regards

Iain -

Bus drivers gagged by Centcomm

David,

The day after the London bombings Friday 8th July 2005 at 12.00pm London bus drivers received a message from Centecomm (I believe this term derives from the US military and its ' Central Command' ). Centecomm coordinates information for buses throughout London. Messages are received day and night and usually concern diversion notices, underground station closures along with other general bus related issues. This message however was very different.

The woman's soft tones said that TV companies in the West End were trying to interview bus drivers. She gently went on to say that bus drivers should not give any interviews as what we 'might say may be misconstrued as company policy'. Urgh?" May be misconstrued as company policy?' What? Where do you start with such a statement? The vagueness of the phrase 'company policy' is really quite sinister. Bus services in London are operated by private operators (companies), under contract to London Buses and this is the link to London Buses 'company' information
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/cib_about.asp. Then of course there is that small matter of freedom of speech. If we wanna speak we'll speak. The whole thing is disgraceful.

Time for heroes.

Peace

Paul

see also Badgers experiences on the day of the bombings which was censored on IndymediaUK and resulted in the authorities 'interviewing' her

so what are the chances of both
the Picadilly line and the Northern line being shut down
for separate incidents... ? This in itself is a major occurance
for London underground on a busy morning

after a chat to my source (15 years experience as a leading firefighter, and station officer qualification)
I have established that this alert is very suspect indeed
this is what i was told
bear in mind that this procedure was valid to 1999 when my source left the London Fire Brigade to emigrate

If a suspected fire on the track is reported, fire control will establish a location
EG: between 'Station A' & 'Station B'
Trains between the stations would be stopped, and one train would be 'detrained' [emptied of passengers] at either Station 'A' or 'B'
The driver would then take the fire crew on board with basic equipment ...
[because the cause is usually fluff on the line]
and then would drive slowly along the line
The whole process would take at most 20-30 minutes

so what kind of emergency call did the London Fire Brigade 'station control' receive?
which didn't specify an exact location, which closed the line between Cockfosters and Kings Cross
a large stretch of track with 13 stations

And the ENTIRE Northern Line...with over 50 stations out of action?

so why would only the Northern half of the Picadilliy Line be closed...for a 'fire' ...If the ENTIRE Northern Line was closed for a default train?
There is another weird thing: if these two lines were closed due to a terror alert and the lines were actually closed due to al alert recieved by the intelligence services [sic]
why wasn't the ENTIRE circle line closed?
you see, this line would be incredibly useful to a terrorist who could get on from anywhere in the central zone, via any line that connects to it... they could also exit from anywhere from this zone via any line.
If I were a crisis manager and a head of an operation dealing with a possible terror attack, the first thing I would do is close down the CIRCLE LINE [see below in yellow]

can you say 'terror drill' ?... now can you say 'fake terror drill' ?

we are faced with the strange claim that these men, one of whom had a new family, and another whose wife was pregnant, carried bombs set on timers and stood there waiting for them explode.
This makes sense ONLY if they thought they were carrying fake bombs as part of a terror drill. This also explains the nervousness of the man on the bus who had probably just heard of the real explosions and was starting to suspect that the fake bomb he was carrying might not be fake after all.
If these men thought they were committing suicide, why did they buy RETURN TICKETS ON THE TRAIN? Why did they pay for "pay and display" tickets for their cars at the parking area?
"Hey you, Muslim person. Wanna make a hundred pounds? You could use that kind of dough, with a new kid and all. We're running a terror drill, and all you gotta do is take this here harmless backpack with a fake bomb inside to work with you tomorrow, just to see if the subway guards catch you or not. Mum's the word, this is national security and all; you can't tell anyone!"

- what really happened?