Bombs Found in London Cause Slowdowns
L O N D O N, July 19 -- A subway station bomb believed to have been planted by a dissident Irish group reduced key sections of London to gridlock today and raised fears of renewed terrorist attackson the British mainland.
Police safely detonated the device at west London’s EalingBroadway Underground station after receiving a coded warning. Thewarning used the same code name employed by a dissident group inconnection with the June 30 bombing of a Dublin-Belfast rail line,authorities said.
Scotland Yard said early morning calls from Dublin alsocontained threats on two key stations in central London,Westminster and Victoria. Both were closed for hours as expertssearched unsuccessfully for explosives.
The resulting chaos disrupted royal fans attending the 100thbirthday pageant for Queen Mother Elizabeth and made gettingaround the capital a nightmare for tens of thousands of commutersand tourists. People throughout London had to coped with divertedtrains, closed stations and suspended services.
“As always, we are advising the public to remain on theirguard,” said Alan Fry, deputy assistant commissioner of theMetropolitan Police.
Watch Out for Splinter Groups
Northern Ireland’s police chief, Ronnie Flanagan, has warnedthat splinter paramilitary groups opposed to the province’s 1998Good Friday peace accord are intent on carrying their campaign tomainland Britain. Peter Mandelson, Britain’s highest-rankingofficial in Northern Ireland, told the House of Commons today that he would work closely with the Irish government tocombat the threat.
“The main paramilitary groups are maintaining theircease-fires,” Mandelson said. “There remains, though, a threatfrom dissident paramilitaries who are opposed to the Good Fridayagreement.”
Last month, a small bomb exploded on the Hammersmith Bridge overthe River Thames. The bridge remains closed.
No one claimed responsibility, although authorities suspectedIrish terrorists. The Irish Republican Army, which has beenobserving a cease-fire since 1997, planted two bombs on theHammersmith Bridge in April 1996.
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