Sky is reporting a major raid: including stun grenades and at least one controlled explosion in uber-trendy Notting Hill off Tavistock road. It is believed they have arrested someone who may be one of the bombers.

“It is half a mile or so from where a bomb was left on Thursday last week and discovered later by a member of the public.”

The Army are said to be involved as well.

Just a breaking headline for now:

London police say man shot dead at subway station Friday “not connected” to Thursday’s attempted bombings.

Details soon.

Update:

The man shot dead by police in south London yesterday is not connected to attempted terror attacks on the capital, Scotland Yard said today.

“For somebody to lose their life in such circumstances is a tragedy and one that the Metropolitan Police Service regrets,” said a spokesman.

The fatal shooting happened in Stockwell at 10am yesterday when armed plain clothes police officers shot a man as he tried to board a train at the underground station.

He had emerged from a nearby house that was under surveillance because of a suspected link to Thursday’s attempted bomb attacks on three Tube trains and a bus.

The man, whose name has not yet been released, was then followed by surveillance officers.

He is thought to have caught a bus to Stockwell Tube station where he was challenged by officers, who told him to stop.

The man, who is believed to be of South American appearance, then bolted down an escalator, according to witnesses.

He apparently tried to get on a train before he was, according to witnesses, shot five times in the head by an officer with an automatic pistol.

More at Sky

FOX

British police have made a second arrest in connection to an attempted bomb attack on London’s transit systems.

The suspect was apprehended in Stockwell, the south London neighborhood where another suspect was detained Friday and another man was fatally shot by police in a subway station, Scotland Yard said.

A man has been arrested in connection with Thursday’s attempted bomb attacks on London’s transport system, police say.

Scotland Yard said Friday’s arrest took place at an address in Stockwell, south London, as “part of the investigation into the incidents of July 21.”

Police would not comment on whether the man was one of four shown in CCTV pictures of suspects released Friday

.

Read more…

SKY

Detectives investigating the attempted bombings in London are searching a house in north west London near Paddington.

Armed police are carrying out an operation at a house in the Harrow Road area of West Kilburn, Scotland Yard has confirmed.

Sky’s Correspondent Graham Leach, who is at the scene, said there is a “formidable” police presence.

He added that two women and a teenage boy have reportedly been searched by police.

The operation is reportedly centred on a Thai restaurant.

Also:

CNN:

Fatal shooting in subway station linked to ongoing anti-terror probe, London police say. Images released of four men wanted in connection with failed bombings.

[..]

Four suspects in Thursday’s attempted bombings of three London train stations and a double-decker bus have been identified through closed circuit television footage, a police source with knowledge of the investigation said.

CCTV images of the four suspects were later shown.

One commuter Teri Godly described how she had stood next to the man the British media described as a suspected suicide bomber before police charged in and shot him several times.

“A tall Asian guy, shaved head, slight beard, with a rucksack got in front of me,” she told Sky News television.

More as we get it…

More on the search:

A witness earlier said heavily armed police had descended on part of Harrow Road in west London, shouting at people to stay off the streets.

“There’s what looks like a bomb disposal-type vehicle, armoured, and there’s several armed officers around it,” Houst Monfaradi told BBC television, adding there was a huge police presence in the area.

“About half hour an ago, police ran up my road telling everyone to get inside their houses. Anyone who even pops their head out, they scream at them: ‘get inside your house’.”

Looks like there is an incident in Canary Wharf. Picture and story here.

Here’s one suspect:

CNN has the four photos on the front page.

A statement posted Friday on an Islamic website in the name of an al-Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility for latest blasts targeting London’s transport system.

The group, Abu Hafs al Masri Brigade, also claimed responsibility for the July 7 bombings which killed 52 people and four suicide bombers.

The statement’s authenticity could not be immediately verified.

“Our strikes in the depths of the capital of the British infidels our only a message to other European governments that we will not relent and sit idle before the infidel soldiers will leave the land of the two rivers,” said the statement.

Read more…

Just a breaking headline, link in a minute.

From BBC:

A man has been shot at Stockwell Tube station by armed police officers, police confirm.

Passengers were evacuated from a Tube train on the Northern Line station in south London after the incident.

Passenger Mark Whitby told BBC News he had seen an Asian man shot five times by “plain-clothes police officers”.

Services on the Victoria and Northern lines have been suspended following a request by the police, London Underground said.

Fox is reporting the suspect is dead, but they have no link yet, just a headline.

Also in regards, to the Asian description: ‘Asian’ in the UK sense means exclusively somebody from the Indian subcontinent, i.e. Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan.

SKY:

Alarmed onlookers said they saw police, some in plain clothes, chasing a man before opening fire.

Reports said the suspect was pushed to the ground and shot five times at close range.

Passenger Briony Coetsee said: “We were on the tube and then we suddenly heard someone say ‘get out, get out’ and then we heard gunshots.”

Air and road ambulance crews have been sent to the scene and unconfirmed reports suggest the man was involved in Thursday’s assault on the capital.

I guess five shots at close range would confirm that he’s dead.

CNN:

Witness Mark Whitby told the BBC Friday that an Asian man was shot five times at close range after he had jumped on a train at Stockwell station — close to the Oval, one of four sites targeted by suspected bombers on Thursday — was a suspected suicide bomber.

Whitby said the train was standing in the station with its doors open when the Asian man ran on, pursued by three plainclothes officers.

I’d venture to say that by “suspected suicide bomber,” they mean one of the suspects from yesterday. It’s not likely they’re going to shoot a guy loaded with explosives in the tube station.

Update:

Sky:

Chris Wells, a 28-year-old company manager, said he was travelling on the Victoria Line towards Vauxhall when he left the train at Stockwell.

He saw about 20 police officers, some of them armed, rushing into the station before a man jumped over the barriers with police giving chase.

He said: “There were at least 20 officers and they were carrying big black guns.

“The next thing I saw was this guy jump over the barriers and the police officers were chasing after him and everyone was just shouting ‘get out, get out’.”

Also breaking:

A group linked to al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the latest London bombings, as forensic teams examine the rucksack bombs found on a bus and in Tube trains.

The group, Abu Hafs al Masri Brigade, also claimed responsibility for the explosions on July 7.

The statement’s authenticity could not be immediately verified and some doubt has been cast on the group’s previous claims.

There had been rumors of a mosque being surrounded - looks like a false alarm and the incident is over.

And now my sources say that the suspect was a wearing a large, heavy coat - perhaps to conceal explosives - and that he was shot in the head.

The police are giving a briefing soon. We’ll find out. Maybe.

Two clarifications:

Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: “The officer or officers involved in this clearly felt this suspect was about to detonate a bomb.”

And: An earlier bomb threat targeting a mosque in east London has been given the all-clear by police.

Update 7:20:

This is such an odd story - eyewitness accounts differ from official accounts right now, plus there are tons of swirling rumors - black bags, smoke, bomb threats, etc. that it will be a while before it all clears up.

11:30

Dead man has been confirmed as suspected Oval St. (would-be) bomber.

8:26 am: Just breaking, trying to get some info.

Sky News:

There have been unconfirmed reports of an apparently minor explosion on the London Underground.

A series of incidents have been reported near Warren Street, Oval and Shepherd’s Bush stations on the London Underground.

Fox is reporting that a building have been evactuated and smoke is coming from undeground.

BBC:

The whole of the Northern Line has been suspended, along with the Victoria Line and the Hammersmith and City. One hospital has begun its emergency plan.

A spokesman for London Underground said the nature of the incidents was unknown.

There are no reports of any casualties.

One hospital, near Warren St station, has started its emergency procedure.

Sky again:

Train passenger Ivan McCracken told Sky News he spoke to an Italian man who witnessed an explosion.

“He told me he had seen a man carrying a rucksack which suddenly exploded. It was a minor explosion but enough to blow open his rucksack. Everyone rushed from the carriage. People evacuated very quickly. There was no panic.

“I didn’t see anyone injured but there was shock and fright.

“There was a smell of smoke.”

“The man who was holding the rucksack looked extremely dismayed.

Police have cordoned off the streets around Warren Street station. They said a suspect package had been reported on a Victoria Line train.

FOX tv is reporting that Scotland Yard said there was an “incident” on a bus - Hackney Road bus.

BBC has confirmed the bus incident.

BBC now reporting detonators only, no explosions.

People have been talking about shooting, but sources believe they mistook the sounds of the detonators for gunshots.

Also, any reports of nailbombs - and there have been several - have been denied.

From a reader in the comments:

Email from a friend in Shepherd’s Bush,

“I had just got on the train at Sheperds Bush (H&C Line) when it all kicked off there.

Didn’t here a bang, people were calm, aussie bloke said “fuck this, more explosives!” and pegged it.

Out of the station and a woman told me a guy in the last carriage was laid on his back, that his backpack had exploded and everyone had come into her carriage crying…”

Ok, now Reuters is reporting that the nail bomb story is true.

Update: No casualties on bus, which seems to have been evacauated before the “incident,” and one injury at Warren Street.

This is looking very much like a planned bombing that didn’t quite go off.

Guardian

A British Transport Police spokesman said: “One person has received an injury at Warren Street. “We cannot confirm what the injury is, how it was received or who serious it is. We are still waiting for more information.”

FOX:

Simon Marks, president and chief correspondent for Feature Story News, was reporting from the Warren Street Underground station for FOX News. He said the area was cordoned off as dozens of fire trucks and emergency vehicles were arriving.

“I think this looks like much more than a false alarm at this point,” Marks told FOX News.

From Rich, in the comments:

Queens college hospital is being sealed of by armed police, the injured person may be one of the would be bombers.

Update 9:20

SKY:

Sky News Foreign Affairs editor Tim Marshall said: “There is a bus parked there which is empty and there is nobody anywhere near it. This does indicate that police think the bus is still dangerous.”

Sky News Online’s Rob Cole is at Shepherd’s Bush. He said: “The whole of Shepherd’s Bush Green is sealed off. About 400 metres on both sides of the Tube station is affected.”

Network Rail say all mainline train services are running from London stations.

Reports of HazMat teams on the site now.

Just got a report that CNN is reporting one person dead - will check on that.

Here’s that nail bomb confirm by Reuters.

Update: the death seems to be a rumor but there is one definite injured person. Also, FOX tv reporting that a chase of a suspect and arrest has ensued….will look for link on that.

9:45:

London police have confirmed four explosions.(via Fox headline)

From TCP contributor Andrew:

The police are saying its not a “major incident” yet…it seems its become “major” now. UCL Hospital has been cordoned off by police. Mobile network has been cut off and tube network is shut down. Bombs seem to be smaller than last time but they are not sure what is going on. People are being told to stay where we are.

Update 10:00

Reports that this has been upgraded to a MAJOR incident.

BBC confirms reports of armed men entering University College Hospital.

All signs point to the injured person being one of the terrorists.

A Flckr photoset from Warren St. today

Blair speaking in a few moments…

Reports of an arrest being made…

Incident map

Pictures here

From Fox:

Police in chemical protection suits were seen preparing to enter the Warren Street station. Sky News reported that police said no chemical agents were involved in the explosions.

There was also an incident at 10 Downing Street, where British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s offices are located. Two police officers trained their guns on a man before leading him off the premises; his shirt was unbuttoned in the front.

11:00

SKY: An internal memo to staff at the hospital has warned them to be on the lookout for a black male, possibly of Asian origin, about 6ft 2ins tall, wearing a blue top with wires protruding from the rear of the top.

Blair Speaks:

“We can’t minimizes incidents such as this … we know why these things are done — they’re done to scare people, to frighten, to make them anxious and worried,” British Prime Minister Tony Blair said during a press conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who was in London for a meeting with his British counterpart.

Blair added that he has spoken with Metropolitan police ommissioner and that, “his hope is that things can now get back to normal again as quickly as possible.”

“I think we’ve just got to react calmly and continue with our business as much as possible as normal,” the prime minister added.

Blair also thanked Howard for Australia’s support in the War on Terrorism (search), particularly after the July 7 bombings in the United Kingdom, which took the life of one Australian.

“This scourge of terrorism is one that we all face together,” Blair said.

“Terrorism is the enemy of all free people,” added Howard.

Lots of speculation on this being the work of copy cat bombers. Guardian:

One thing is clear about this afternoon’s events: the bombers and bomb makers were very different from the suicide bombers whose attacks exactly two weeks ago killed more than 50 people.

First indications suggested those responsible for today’s attacks were “amateurs” and their bombs were crude. There is a report for example, that one of the devices was a nail bomb.

[…]

But so many questions remain. Were they copy-cat bombers? Were the targets chosen in the form of the four points of the compass - north, south, east, west, like the July 7 bombs were supposed to be?

11:37

FOX reporting that the explosives are the same type used in the July 7th attacks.

No trace of chemical agents

BBC reporter’s log

What happened on the Number 26 Bus

In regards the the “Asian” description of the suspect, please read this comment.

Blogs:

Andrew Ian Dodge has more from London
Also, Blogs of War has updates

More updates (and speculation) at Wizbang, including links to other blogs.

Guardian blog

Listening to this live via BBC. These are as near to quotes as I can manage:

• Can’t minimize incidents like this

• We know whey they’re done … to scare people.

• Fortunately, in this instance, there appear to have been no casualties.

• We’ve go to react calmly.

• I will go back to the schedule of meetings I had.

[Ed: Now he goes into thanking the Aussie Prime minister for his visit, etc. No idea if he knows police just arrested a man near Downing Street]

I’m listening to the BBC on my sat radio here in the office. I’ll post their updates here as they come; apologies for typos.

• Three stations evacuated and three lines shut down: Oval, Warren Street, Shepherds Bush

• So far, no reports of casualties

• Smoking coming from at least one of the stations

• Also an incident on a bus in East London: There was a “bang” and windows on the top level of the bus were blown out

• Reports that the explosions came from “detonators, not bombs”

• 9:06 am est — BBC now reports one person injured at Warren Street

• 9:07 am est — Correspondent at Warren Street says passers-by were making claims of smoke and a “bang.” Area being sealed off by police now. No ambulances.

• 9:07 am est — Correspondent at Shepherds Bush says area is being cordoned off

• 9:11 am est — Bus official: Incident was on the #26 bus in Hackney. Again, top windows blown out.

• 9:12 am est – Fire brigade spokesman says smoke was seen coming from Warren Street station

• 9:12 am est – DID HE GET AWAY? Eyewitness at Oval: Like a loud balloon pop; something on the floor looked like it had exploded; a man ran - ran right by me - with others screaming to “stop him”; he left a bag on the train.

• 9:16 am est - London hospital near the incidents has NOT been asked to prepare for unusual casualties.

• 9:17 am est – Eyewitness at Warren Street live on the phone with BBC: People said a bag had exploded that people in that carriage had seen, but they were not hurt. The train then pulled into the station and everyone got off the train.

• 9:27 am est – Correspondent at Warren Street: Police cordon is up. Situation still confused. No sense of immediate panic. Ambulances on stand-by. Police are asking the cordon to move further back.

• 9:33 am est – BBC reports London Police Chief has confirmed there had been four explosions, but that they were very small ones. Cordon at Shepherds Bush also being moved back.

• 9:41 am est - Reports at Oval (I think … typing fast here0 of eyewitness seeing a “small, black rucksack that had been split open” with a white material coming out.

[Ed: Wonder if these folks forgot to synchronize watches …]

• 9:42 am est - News conference by London Police Chief: Londoners can help by staying where they are and giving the transport system a break.

• 9:55 am est - Correspondent at Warren Street: Two officials going into Warren Street station in “full protective equipment” [Ed - Unclear if these were Hazmat or not, but they were described as “Michelin Men”]; since then, the journalists have been moved back from about 100 meters to 300-400 meters away.

• 9:56 am est - Correspondent at Oval: Press being moved back to 300+ meters there as well. [Ed: Seems all the cordons are being moved substantially back] Another report of a suspicous man running from the scene.

• 10:36 am est - A man has been arrested by armed police in Whitehall outside the Ministry of Defense.

• 10:51 am est - London police: No evidence of any chem or bio. Conventional event only.

Listening to BBC radio live: Armed police rushed out of police cars toward a man who was standing outside the Ministry of Defense at Whitehall, not far from Downing Street. He has been arrested. This has just happened in the past few moments. Man appears to have been Asian or Middle-Eastern.

Scotland Yard has confirmed reports that a man has been arrested in Egypt in connection with the London terror bombs hunt.

The suspect, believed to have had a central role in making the explosive devices, was held near Cairo and was being questioned, the American television company ABC reported.

The network said authorities believed the man had left Britain two weeks before the London explosions on July 7.

The report said authorities were eager to learn whether more than one bomb-maker had been involved and whether more bombs had been made.

He is said to have been detained in a suburb of Cairo following a worldwide search involving the FBI, Interpol and other agencies.

More….

More:

The ABC report from London identified the man as Magdy Elnashar, 33, a U.S.-trained chemist. It cited Egyptian and western intelligence sources as saying he had been captured in a Cairo suburb.

The report said authorities believed the man had left Britain two weeks before the explosions that killed 54 people on July 7.

Here he is:

Apparently, he’s a graduate of North Carolina State University.

Looks like he has al-Qaeda ties.

The Financial Times reports that Prime Minister Tony Blair promised urgent action to exclude or deport radical Muslim clerics who “incite and instigate” acts of terrorism:

He encouraged Britain’s religious leaders to stand up to “the poisonous and perverted interpetration of the religion of Islam” shown by the terrorists.

[. . .]

Mr. Blair has already said he wants to enact legislation to allow the prosecution of people caught preparing an act of terrorism. The prime minister on Wednesday said legislation would also be aimed at allowing prosecution of those involved in “incitement and instigation” of such acts.

From California Yankee.

Sky:

Detectives are piecing together the lives of Britain’s first suicide bombers - four home-grown young men who are believed to have brought carnage to London.

They are also hunting the mastermind behind the attacks that killed 52 people, amid fears there may be more volunteers ready to die for their cause.

Three of the four bombers are believed to be Shehzad Tanweer, 22, of Leeds, Mohammed Sadique Khan, 30, of Dewsbury, and Hasib Hussain, 19, of Leeds.

A fourth man from Yorkshire has been identified by police but not yet named.

He is believed to have been on the train which was devastated near Russell Square Tube station and is thought to be a friend of the other three suspects.

Profile of suspects here

The call that cracked the case:

A TELEPHONE call from a worried mother in Leeds trying to find her missing teenage son led police to unravel the identity of the London suicide bombers.
The call, at 10pm last Thursday, more than 12 hours after the London explosions, was one of thousands the police handled as news of the attack spread.

The woman caller gave the name of her son as Hasib Hussain, who was aged 19.

Locals tell of visits to training camps

“Ordinary” lives of bombs suspects

Bombers’ community fears backlash

Sky:

BOMB SUSPECTS ‘HAD BEEN ARRESTED’

The Government has denied claims the London bomb suspects were arrested last year.

Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said Home Secretary Charles Clarke was keen to let the men go free so they could be monitored.

“It seems that part of this team had been subject to partial arrest … in Spring 2004,” Mr Sarkozy told a news conference.

SKY

The suspected bomber of the London bus attack has been identified as among the 13 who died, according to police sources.

Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt said it was still not clear if the man had been a suicide bomber.

It follows witness reports of a man on the No 30 bus in an agitated state looking into his bag up to 12 times before the blast.

Brunt said police were poised to make a number of arrests in London.

More from FOX:

Authorities used blasts to raid one of several residences in northern England Tuesday as sources said London police identified the bomber of a bus in multiple blasts last week.

Neighbors of one of the five houses being searched told Sky News that a 22-year-old man who lived there with his family went missing last week.

Also Tuesday, FOX was told that a car parked at a train station in Luton, near London, was cordoned off and being investigated in connection with last week’s bombings.

More here

Update

As of 11:22EST, FOX is reporting that an arrest has been made. More as we get it.

From SKY

ALL FOUR BOMBERS DIED
All four suspected bombers died during the London terror attacks, according to police sources.

Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt said three bombers died on the Tube and one on the No 30 bus.

It was still not clear if the man on the bus had been a suicide bomber.

It follows witness reports of a man on the No 30 bus in an agitated state constantly looking into his bag before the blast in Tavistock Square.

Brunt said police had made a number of arrests in Leeds today in relation to last Thursday’s bombings.

They were also poised to make arrests in London, he said.

Police set off a controlled explosion Tuesday at a home in northern England hours after they searched five residences elsewhere in the city in the first raids linked to the London terrorist bombing investigation, broadcast reports said.

More…

Anti-terrorist police investigating the London bombings raided five residences in northern England Tuesday morning. No arrests were immediately reported.

News reports said the searches were concentrated on one street in Leeds, 185 miles north of London. Police would confirm only that the activity was in West Yorkshire, the county Leeds is in.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said the raids were connected to the massive investigation of Thursday’s attacks on three subway trains and a bus.

Read more..

The BBC reports that one of the suspect packages which caused the evacuation of Birmingham contained a stage firework:
About 20,000 people were forced to leave the area on Saturday evening:

Ch Supt Peter Goodman said West Midlands Police had received intelligence which gave a “credible and specific” threat.

He said a box with wires and a switch was found in a hotel room and a separate package was reported on a bus.

Both turned out to be harmless, but police said they reinforced the information that the city had been targeted.

[. . .]

During the search they came across the pyrotechnical device in a room at the Premier Travel Inn.

From California Yankee.

The Scotsman reports that the driver of the doomed number 30 London bus, torn apart by a terrorist bomb, feared all his passengers had died:

George Psaradakis, who walked away from his wrecked vehicle with only minor injuries, said his first instinct was that he had clipped a kerb and burst a tyre.

But when he turned round and saw much of his vehicle had been destroyed, the awful realisation dawned on him that his bus had been devastated by an explosion. His first thought was: “All my passengers are dead.”

Police have confirmed 13 people died on the bus, with many more injured.

Psaradakis’ bus had been diverted from its normal route following the bombs on the London Underground:

“My bus had been diverted because there were thousands of people coming out of the Tube. There were many people who were trying to get on the bus at once,” Mr Psaradakis said.

“Suddenly there was a bang, then carnage. Everything seemed to happen behind me.”

Mr Psaradakis said he tried to help his passengers. “There were many injured people and at first I thought, ‘How am I alive when everyone is dying around me?’ The police then had to take me away because they were concerned there might be further explosions.”

From California Yankee.

Sky News: Fear over more attacks

The terrorists who hit London could be planning further attacks in Britain, Home Secretary Charles Clarke has warned.

Mr Clarke said he feared further attacks if the perpetrators were not caught.

“Our fear is of course of more attacks until we succeed in tracking down the gang that committed the atrocities on Thursday,” he said.

“That is why the number one priority has to be the catching of the perpetrators.”

Mr Clarke said he was “very optimistic” of catching the bombers.

Tributes to bombing victims

Stevens: Bombers ‘almost certainly’ British

Former Metropolitan Police chief Sir John Stevens has warned the London bombers were “almost certainly” British and that there were many more born and bred here willing to attack.

Lord Stevens, who served as commissioner for five years before retiring this earlier year, said last Thursday’s bombers were “totally aware of British life and values” and although international terrorists may have provided the expertise, it was “wishful thinking” to suspect the perpetrators came from abroad.

He said: “I’m afraid there’s a sufficient number if people in this country willing to be Islamic terrorists that they don’t have to be drafted in from abroad

.

The BBC now reports that police confirm four controlled explosions had been carried out on a bus in Birmingham:

I don’t believe that the incident that we are dealing with this evening is connected with the events of 7 July in London ACC West Midlands Police, Stuart Hyde

Officers now believe that the item destroyed on the bus near the Square Peg pub had not posed a threat.

Bomb disposal experts are now investigating another suspect package in the Broad Street area.

From California Yankee.

Update: Police defend evacuations

“I can tell you that, bearing in mind the current world climate, the information we received posed a real threat to the lives of people in the city centre.”

The public’s safety was the top priority, he said, adding: “I believe this threat was significant for me to authorise this evacuation.

Breaking, link in a moment.

Birmingham, England, police evacuating the city afterintelligence suggested some type of threat, the switchboard operator said.

BBC:

Police in Birmingham in the Midlands are evacuating the city centre.

Earlier they issued a warning they had received intelligence suggesting a threat to the area.

“Our response needs to be proportionate in the action we’re taking and in informing the public,” a spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said.

Police are now closing down the Birmingham Broad street entertainment zone and asking people to go home. A statement will be released shortly.

More here

Reuters

—

A woman who works in a bar in the centre of Birmingham told Sky News she had to travel down back streets to reach the middle of the city where her job is based following the security alert. She said: “I did a massive detour which took nearly an hour and just managed to get into the city centre.

“We are right in the city centre by the library and that’s apparently somewhere near where the bomb scare’s been happening. There’s not many police where we are now.”

She added: “They haven’t told us anything at all yet, the police. We’re just carrying on as normal as we possibly can.

There are rumors of a controlled explosion in the area.

DDebka:

Credible intelligence alert prompted evacuation Saturday night of Birmingham center in West Midlands two days after terrorists attack London. Police carry out series of controlled explosions after clearing 30,000 from bars, restaurants, theaters and hotels.

—-

West Midlands Police announced they had received intelligence of a possible threat to the area around 2015BST.

Initially people were told to be on their guard and that bars and restaurants were being searched. Motorists were also told not to come into the city centre.

Around 2100BST the police announced that the city was to be evacuated.

Bomb squad officers reportedly carried out a series of controlled explosions in the Broad Street entertainment district.

West Midlands Police said no vehicles are being allowed past the inner ring road.

Around 200 bars, restaurants and clubs were being emptied and searched

Assistant chief constable Stuart Hyde said police had received an intelligence warning of a “substantial threat”.

“I don’t believe that the incident that we are dealing with this evening is connected with the events of July 7 in London. I want to make that pretty clear,” he said

.

J Quinton has more links and updates

Personal accounts here.

FOX

London police Saturday said the three bombs targeting the London subway system on Thursday detonated within seconds of each other, as the investigation continued into the four blasts that paralyzed the transit network, killing about 50 people and wounding some 700 hundred more.

“The three bombs exploded almost simultaneously,” Brian Paddick of the Metropolitan Police said of the subway attacks.

“The investigation is continuing and as we go through all the evidence that’s available to us … a slightly different picture is emerging around the timing of these bombings,” he said in a Saturday press conference.

More here

Blair: Total safety impossible -

Tony Blair has said all the surveillance in the world could not have stopped the terrorists who carried out the London bombings.

He declared it was impossible for any government to make their country 100% safe against such attacks.

“Probably with this type of terrorism the solution cannot only be the security measures,” he said.

“If people are actually prepared to go on to a Tube or a bus and blow up wholly innocent people… you can have all the surveillance in the world and you couldn’t stop that happening.”

Daily Mail: Is Moroccan mastermind of the plot?

A Moroccan granted British citizenship is being hunted by anti-terrorist forces investigating the London bombings.

As detectives warned the suspected Al Qaeda cell that blitzed the capital leaving more than 50 people dead was primed to strike again, a Europe-wide request for information on Mohammed al-Gerbouzi was circulated around police forces.

The request for details on the 45-year-old father of six, who has a British passport after being granted asylum in the mid-1990s, was sent by British police to European counterparts within hours of the three rush-hour Underground explosions and one bus bomb on Thursday.

He is already wanted for questioning in connection with the Casablanca and Madrid terror attacks, which investigators say have striking similarities to the London attacks.

BBC has an interactive timeline/graphic of what happened at each station.

More al Qaeda claims

Pakistani security quizzing suspect:

Investigators are questioning a British national of Pakistan-origin with known links to Al-Qaeda and militants in the United Kingdom whom they suspect may provide lead to Thursdays London blasts, a local paper reported Saturday. Zeeshan Siddique, 25, who was picked up by a security agency from near Peshawar, capital of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) in May, during interrogation revealed his British nationality and that he was suspected of involvement in a failed plot to bomb pubs, restaurants and rail stations in London, sources told daily Dawn.

…to be updated…

Image from Sky News. Pictured are the faces of just four of the people still missing after the attacks in London. At least 25 people are still unaccounted for. You can see their names and read a bit about them here.

Friends of one city worker found his cell phone in the wreckage.

Relatives and friends of those missing since the London bomb attacks are continuing their desperate searches.

Posters are being put up around the capital and people searching for news have gone to the four blast sites, displaying photos of the missing.

The Scotland Yard casualty hotline on 0870 156 6344 has already received more than 100,000 calls.

[…]

The families and friends of those missing are also going to hospitals, hoping doctors and nurses would recognise their pictures.

Hospital officials have said that not all of the injured have been identified.

—

Emergency services said some bodies were still stuck in the wreckage of a Tube train in an unstable tunnel between King’s Cross and Russell Square stations.

The more fortunate have traced the injured to one of several hospitals across the capital caring for the wounded.

Many of those in the hospital are still fighting for their lives.

Death toll at least 50:

London’s police chief has revealed more than 50 people were killed in the terror attacks which brought chaos to the capital yesterday.

Sir Ian Blair confirmed 700 were injured in the blasts on three Tube trains and a bus during the morning rush hour.

France tightens border controls after London bomb

Security alerts close 3 London stations

8;42:

Bomber seen on bus?

An interesting note to come out of all this: The proliferation of photos from the scene

Package On Bus On London’s Cannon St Not Bomb-Police

Bus blast driver ‘in shock’

Tim Blair has a roundup of reactions from London.

11:02

From CNN, no link yet:

Death toll raised from two to 13 in Thursday’s bombing of double-decker bus in London’s Tavistock Square, police commissioner says. Details soon.

12:02

Bus toll climbs to 13

Police yet to reach bodies

Bombs small enough to fit in knapsack

[All TCP coverage of the London attacks is archived here]

Newsday:

U.S. intelligence had picked up warnings recently that the al-Qaida terror network or its followers were seeking to duplicate the dramatic 3/11 Madrid train bombings in another European city, two knowledgeable sources said Thursday.

The information lacked details on what city might be the target or when the attacks might occur, but it appeared to foreshadow Thursday’s London mass-transit bombing, which was similar to the 2004 Madrid attacks that also targeted commuter trains at rush-hour.

Some of that information had been culled from a notebook belonging to Abu Faraj al-Libbi, the No.3 official in al-Qaida and the group’s operations chief, who was arrested in Pakistan in May, one intelligence source said.

Read more…

My coverage here at TCP is at an end for the day. I’ll pick up tomorrow with any new items to report as well as updates on the casualty toll. Thanks to everyone who linked and read today.

I’d just like to say that my thoughts are with the people of Britian; the families of the victims; anyone who lived through the attacks today and wtih anyone who feels the sadness and outrage when something like this happens.

TCP’s archived coverage of the London attacks is here.

Please keep checking these blogs for any updates.

If you would like to send condolences or donations, please check the following sites:

British Embassy website

British Red Cross

Leave a comment at Tribute to London

Donate blood

If you know of any other places to send cards, donations or any way in which people can help, please leave a link in the comments.

Thank you.

[All previous London coverage archived here]

ABC news

U.S. authorities tell ABC News that British police have recovered two unexploded bombs from the scene of the terror attacks in London.

In addition, British investigators say that parts of timing devices have been recovered from the blast scene that would have been used to detonate an explosive device. This could provide evidence that would help determine who was behind the attacks, sources told ABC News.

5:03:

Controlled blast in city

Bomb disposal experts have carried out a controlled explosion on a bus in Edinburgh after a suspect package was discovered on board.

Police evacuated a section of Princes Street after the find was made.

This is continuing coverage of the London attacks. Previous posts are here. List of bloggers covering the news is here.

37 now confirmed dead in blasts:

ITALY placed its security forces on alert overnight after a shadowy group which claimed responsibility for the attacks in London issued a direct threat to Italy over its support for the US-led coalition in Iraq.

Emergency hotlines

Sky News video here

Statement from leaders attending G8

Bus routes and light transport running again

3:10:
Italy braced for London-style attack

Galloway: Bombings price of Iraq

The Daily Mirror is looking for your stories, if you were a witness to the events.

Israel denies ‘early information’ about attacks

Death toll reaches 50?

Inevitable: London Blasts Sharpen Concerns over Olympic Security

WSJ has tons of links to blogs and moblogs covering London.

Follow the latest news on the web: NewsNow, NewsXS (rss), Yahoo (rss), the BBC (rss) and these photo’s on Flickr (rss).

New forum has opened for discussion of the terror attacks and to exchange links, updates, news, etc.

All London coverage here

[Note: This is an update post. Please see all posts below this one for links, other news, photos, maps, updates and quotes, etc.]

Also: Please see our list of blogs with ongoing coverage

FOX (tv) reporting at least 40 dead, hundreds injured.

Sky says 45 dead, at least 1000 injured.

At least 45 people are reported to have been killed and 1,000 injured in a series of co-ordinated terror attacks on London.

Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt said the figures, which could rise, were from a reliable, but unofficial source.

He also reported that it is understood that seven were killed in the bus blast in Tavistock Square.

Eyewitness accounts here

Pictures here

Pictures from flickr groups here and here

Via Instapundit, a contact page for the British Embassy, if you want to send condolences.

Map of blasts from BBC

Statement from Mayor of London

Wikipedia entry up already

When I looked the back of the bus was missing

10:30Hosptitals help “thousands of victims”

U.S. cities asked to step up security

The Homeland Security Department asked authorities in major cities Thursday for heightened vigilance of transportation systems after a series of explosions on London transit systems.

A Homeland Security Department spokesman said there were no immediate plans to raise the nation’s threat level.

Italian airports on alert

According to sources, 40 is still an estimated death toll, but 33 deaths have been confirmed.

10:40:

Blast locations and casualties at each

10:50New York on heightened alert

Poland beefs up security

FOX reporting: U.S. Terror Alert Being Raised to Orange for Trains Only

Federal authorities raised the national terror level to orange but only for the U.S. rail network, a move that affects Amtrak, commuter trains, subways and other rail systems, officials told FOX News Thursday.

Security is being raised and tightened in almost every major US city as well as major cities around the world. No point linking to all the stories; suffice it to say security measures are being stepped up everywhere.

Apparently the 33 confirmed deaths do NOT include any deaths from the bus that exploded.

Hotline for those looking for info on loved ones, relatives:
London Blast: Casualty Hotline - 0870 1566 344

11:30:

Met Police site

Spiegel has a screencap of the purported letter from the Secret Al Qaida organization that claimed responsibility.

Via Wizbang, some numbers:

First Bombing: 100 yards into train tunnel 7 confirmed fatalities.
Second bombing: Train bombing, 21 confirmed fatalities
Third Bombing: 3 trains involved with 5 confirmed fatalities
Fourth Bombing: Bus pictured above - Some fatalities but can not confirm numbers

11:50: From the swirling rumor department:

More attacks planned for this afternoon?

12:19: UN Security council calls emergency meeting

[End thread. See newer post for updates]

See other stories, updates here. This is new post to keep the other from getting to lengthy.

Lots of emails coming in that Al Qaeda is taking responsibility - we have no confirmation of this yet.

Reaction from Parlaiment - The Sun has extensive coverage, hit the front page.

In the states, the DC metro is being searched and Philly radio reports increases security on their mass transit. The Corner has much more, just keep scrolling.

Washington steps up transit security

Updates on casualties: 95 injuries, two dead, at least ten severely injured, seven have life threatening injuries.

Rumors that the bus explosion was a suicide bomber….

Here’s another report about Scotland Yard being warned about attacks.

That will be THE picture of this event.

Time line here

Reports of 20 confirmed dead.

CNN and ABC are both reporting al Qaeda links.

8:15am:

Netanyahu Changed Plans Due to Warning

Pictures and news caps at flickr

8:20:

Blair makes another statement

From the Corner (via email)

Number of blasts revised to four

LONDON (CNN) — Scotland Yard has revised the number of explosions down to four — three in the underground system and one on a bus.

A Scotland Yard statement said: “There are now four confirmed sites where police are dealing with reported explosions. These are:

1) Russell Square and Kings Cross underground

2) Moorgate, Aldgate, and Liverpool Street underground

3) Edgware Road underground

4) Tavistock Square where there has been a confirmed explosion on a bus.”

Back to Iraq has a statement purported to be from al Qaeda. Take with a grain of salt.

President Bush is speaking now. Will have transcript soon.

FOX reporting: Unknown Islamic Group Claims Responsibility for Blasts

MSNBC also: Report: Violent Islamic group claims responsibility for blasts. More soon .

Report: Islamic Group Claims London Blasts

A group calling itself “The Secret Organization of Al Qaeda in Europe” has posted a claim of responsibility for the series of blasts in London, saying they were in retaliation for Britain’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The statement was published on a Web site popular with Islamic militants, according to Der Spiegel magazine in Berlin, which republished the text on its own Web site.

“Rejoice, Islamic nation. Rejoice, Arab world. The time has come for vengeance against the Zionist crusader government of Britain in response to the massacres Britain committed in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said the statement, which was translated by The Associated Press in Cairo.

The authenticity of the message could not be immediately confirmed.

“The heroic mujahedeen carried out a blessed attack in London, and now Britain is burning with fear and terror, from north to south, east to west,” the statement said.

“We warned the British government repeated. We have carried out our promise and carried out a military attack in Britain after great efforts by the heroic mujahedeen over a long period to ensure its success.”

“We continue to warn the governments of Denmark and Italy and all crusader governments that they will receive the same punishment if they do not withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan,” the statement went on.

It was signed: “The Secret Organization of Al Qaeda in Europe.”

9:22

G8 Leaders condemn attack