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LONDON BOMBS ROUNDUP Four terrorist blasts kill at least 37 people UPDATE 07.07.2005, 04:10 PM (Updates fatalities, adds new Blair comments, reactions, details throughout) LONDON (AFX) - Thirty seven people were killed and at least 700 people injured in four separate bomb attacks on London's underground and bus networks, a police spokeswoman said. Seven people were killed in a first explosion in an underground railway tunnel near Moorgate on the edge of London's financial district, 21 in a second blast near King's Cross and another seven at Edgware Road station in west London, the spokeswoman said. Two more people died in a blast on a bus in Tavistock Square, packed full of commuters during the morning rush hour. 'We have a total number of casualties at 700,' the spokeswoman said. However, French Interior Minister Nicholas Sarkozy told France 2 television that at least 50 people died in the attacks, citing the British Home Secretary Charles Clarke. Earlier, Prime Minister Tony Blair left the G8 leaders meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland to return to London get an assessment of the damage caused by the bombings. He will return to Gleneagles this evening and intends to chair the closing press conference as scheduled, his spokesman said. Blair said the perpetrators of the bomb blasts in London today acted 'in the name of Islam'. 'We know that these people act in the name of Islam but we also know that the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims here and abroad are decent and law abiding people who abhor terrorism every bit as much as we do,' Blair said in a televised address to the nation. He vowed to bring those behind the attacks to justice and said the country would not bow to terrorism. 'There will of course now be the most intense police and security service action to make sure we bring those responsible to justice,' he said. Back in London, Blair attended a meeting of the government's emergency committee. 'There will be an announcement made in respect of the various services, in particular we hope the underground as far as is possible and rail and bus services are up and running as soon as possible,' he said. Commuters have faced severe delays to their journeys home. Services on the London Underground are still suspended, although buses have started to operate, with a full bus service expected tomorrow. The buses, which were earlier suspended in the centre of the city, are being searched regularly until further notice. Kings Cross Station will be closed for 'a couple of days or so', Transport Minister Alistair Darling said, although a few platforms at the station were opened later. The government also said it will suspend the congestion charge levied in the capital's centre until Monday. The charge was suspended today following the attacks. Security alerts have occurred throughout the day and are continuing into late evening. Victoria station, another mainline terminal, was shut early evening after a suspect package was found on a bus in the area, while in Scotland police evacuated a shopping area of Edinburgh to allow bomb disposal squads to investigate a suspect package left on a bus. International organizations and world leaders joined in condemning the attacks. NATO called on an extraordinary meeting of its policy-making North Atlantic Council for Friday to discuss the bomb attacks in London, a spokesman for the alliance said. The meeting was called by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer to discuss possible 'measures' that could be taken following the attacks, said spokesman Robert Pesczel. The United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution condemning the bombings, saying it regarded any act of terrorism as 'a threat to peace and security.' UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called the bombing 'an attack on humanity itself' and expressed solidarity with the British government and people. The EU Commission will discuss increased security measures for Europe at a meeting next week in the wake of the London attacks, the EU's justice and security commissioner Franco Frattini said. Frattini said the EU's executive arm will discuss proposals next Wednesday to enable members to rapidly respond to terrorist attacks. Meanwhile, World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz, speaking at the G8 summit, said the attacks would not deflect the global community from fighting poverty. Earlier, a group linked to Al-Queda operating in Europe claimed responsibility for the series of explosions that ripped through London this morning, the BBC reported. The organisation's claim appeared on a website frequented by Islamic fundamentalists, the BBC said. It said the blasts were a reprisal for British involvement in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, the BBC reported. The US raised its terror alert for mass transit to 'high' and sent police with machine guns onto subway systems after the blasts. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also ordered American embassies across the globe to review their security posture following the terror attacks in London, the State Department said. newsdesk@afxnews.com jc/hjp COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2005. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News. AFX News and the AFX Financial News logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited Subscriptions >
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