Terror On The Thames
Is al Qaeda--or one of its offshoots--behind the attack on America's closest ally?
U.S. intelligence officials say that they and their allies have been able to erode significant parts of al Qaeda's central leadership, but this has created a whole new set of challenges with a more dispersed organization. "Those people don't all look the same, don't all work for the same people, don't all speak the same language; they have extraordinarily high tradecraft, and they're willing to die for their beliefs," says Harman, whose son was in London during the bombings. "That's as close to a perfect storm as you can get."
Plot possibilities. Officials are also not ruling out involvement by Abu Musab Zarqawi, the Jordanian militant tied to al Qaeda who has been blamed for some of the worst suicide attacks in Iraq. "He has pursued efforts to expand his reach outside the Iraq theater, to include the European theater," says a senior U.S. intelligence official, who adds there is no specific information yet tying him to the operation.
Other experts, however, dispute the assessment that al Qaeda cannot orchestrate attacks as effectively these days. "In a general sense, I think we vastly overestimate the damage we have done to al Qaeda," says Michael Scheuer, a former CIA terrorism analyst who once ran Langley's Osama bin Laden unit. "We have no way of measuring damage." Scheuer noted that the G-8 summit was scheduled many years in advance, meaning that a plot could have been in the works for quite some time.
For its part, London seemed determined to demonstrate that it could bounce back quickly. The first hours of the attack were anxious ones for many worried about friends and family, especially after London's mobile phone network shut down. But the emergency response was crisp and professional, with several offices turned into field hospitals. The cafes and pubs were full, even near the bomb-scarred Edgware Road subway station. Buses and trains were running again later the same evening, while many other Londoners made long treks home on foot. The next morning, commuters once again boarded trains and buses, although jitters over unattended bags prompted at least one temporary closure. "If we can fight and win two wars, I don't think we have to worry about these people," says Rob Cox, a young TV producer, referring to the British spirit during German air raids on London in the Second World War.
Keith Diggle heard the bus blast from his office. "We heard this 'crump,' " he says. But he said Londoners will not be frightened by the terrorists. "We went through this before with the IRA. We know in our bones that you don't change your behavior; you just get on with it," says Diggle, who runs a London firm that publishes books and magazines about classical music. "The difference is, as dastardly as the IRA was, you had some hope of negotiations. With these guys, you don't negotiate."
Carnage in London
Here is how last week's terrorist attacks unfolded:
1 8:51 a.m.
Seven killed in the first blast at the height of rush hour.
2 8:56 a.m.
Blast deep underground killed more than 21 people. Safety fears slowed the recovery of additional bodies.
3 9:17 a.m.
Seven died in blast involving two to three trains.
4 9:47 a.m.
Blast on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square killed 13.
[key]
Bus station
Bombing
Tube station and line
MILE 0 1
[sites of interest]
Hyde Park
Tavistock Square
British Museum
10 Downing Street
Houses of Parliament
River Thames
Westminster Abbey
Buckingham Palace
[stations]
PICCADILLY CIRCUS
ALDGATE
RUSSELL SQUARE
LIVERPOOL STREET
KING'S CROSS
EDGWARE ROAD
VICTORIA
[inset]
Extent of the Underground System
London's Tube is the oldest subway in the world. Three million riders move across 253 miles of track through 275 stations a day.
[inset labels]
Area of detail
River Thames
0,5 MILES
Map by Stephen Rountree-- USN&WR
With Thomas K. Grose and Gillian Sandford
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