What the Hell?! They're Bombing London!

Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
#1

Excuse me. This morning has gone surreal. If I believe what I’m hearing, someone has bombed the London Underground during the end of rush hour and, as people came out of the Underground, blew up at least one double decker bus!

Is everyone all right over there?

Why are they doing this? Is it because London got the Olympics? Who could be so brutal as to inflict so much carnage?

I know. That last one is a foolish question. I was evacuated from downtown Pittsburgh on September 11, 2001 when two planes had hit the World Trade Center; one had hit the Pentagon and the location of the fourth was unknown but somewhere near Pittsburgh. I still don’t want to believe this, though.

Are our London Dopers all right?

CJ

#2

Yep, multiple explosions on tube & buses. http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=324421

Lots of chatter on Nads, too.

#3

I’m in Copenhagen right now. BBC World TV has even gone black a couple of times. No idea why.

The Tubes and buses are shut. London’s cel phone network is overloaded. No word on casualty numbers yet, but there are said to be fatalities.

Any guesses as to responsibility? al-Qaeda? IRA?
Motivation? G8 summit? Surely not the Olympic bid?

I am keeping my fingers crossed that nothing is planned for rush hour in the States…

#4

Co-ordinated multiple explosions - only one organisation tends to do that. One TV reporter already mentioned “the group which we’re all thinking of”, which I thought was a wonderful way of saying “Al Qaeda” without breaking journalistic accuracy.

#5

Very sad and very discouraging news. My sympathies are with Londoners.

#6

Very unlikely the work of the IRA they’ve been on a ceasefire for 10 years.

Fuck this could be very bad. I’m in Hanoi, Vietnam and finding it hard to get news.

Hope everyone from here is OK. :frowning:

#7

CNN confirming at least 2 deaths, 90 casualties.

The Nads bboard claims ITV is reporting 20 deaths. Can’t cite that yet.

#8

Dear Og, let there be as few people injured and lives ruined as possible from this.

#9

They’re giving that figure on their TV reports. The websites aren’t being updated as quickly.

#10

Mal here. I’m not in London.

This wasn’t the IRA’s standard operating procedure anyway. I’ve not heard more than guesses as to who’s responsible or what it’s all about, but I think we can rule out the Olympics as possible grounds.

#11

Get real, people, what terrorist organization is know for multiple coordinated attacks?

It ain’t the IRA, the ETA, or even the eco-terrorists.

Don’t want to jump to conclusions before there’s actual proof, but the evidence is leaning strongly in one direction, isn’t it?

#12

My thoughts are with you, London. I’m so sorry.

#13

As are my thoughts, too. City of my ancestors. Stay safe, one and all. :frowning:

#14

I hope all the London dopers are ok. :frowning:

#15

My thoughts and prayers go out to our friends in London.

#16

:*(

#17

Ugh, unreal. I hope everyone over there is ok, my thoughts are with you.

#18

My thoughts are with all Londoners, and all people with friends and loved ones there :frowning:

M.O. certainly appears to support the supposition that this is AQ work, but I guess we should wait a few more hours for the picture to clear.

At his point, all I can wish you Brits is that this is a one-off incident, and not the beginning of a wave of attacks. If it is AQ – and like I said it certainly appears that way – at least it is unlikely that there will be any follow up. Small comfort, I know :frowning:

Hang in there.

#19

Tony Blair thinks this is tied to the start of the G8 summit.

My thought was, Al Qaeda had a bunch of plans in place, depending what city got the nod for the 2012 Olympics.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Londoners. Please, check in when you can.

#20

I’m ok, and so is Cruose. Both stuck in our offices - mine is at Euston, so I’m about as close to the explosions as it’s possible to be.

Scary shit.