• Show Search Options  • Search Tips


Section Front
Answers.com
E-Mail This StoryPrintable VersionTag With del.icio.usDigg This

Was London Bomb Plot Heralded On Web?

Internet Forum Comment From Night Before: "London Shall Be Bombed"


U.S. Main PageU.S. Main Page
War On TerrorWar On Terror
Iraq: After SaddamIraq: After Saddam
Reporter's NotebookReporter's Notebook
U.S. VideoU.S. Video

Wireless Alerts
E-Mail Alerts
Podcasts
RSS Feeds

Photo Essay

London Bomb ScareLondon Bomb Scare
Police thwart apparent terror attack, defusing car bomb in heart of city.
Was+London+Bomb+Plot+Heralded+On+Web%3F

Interactive

Global TerrorGlobal Terror
Major terrorist organizations, the FBI's most wanted and facts and photos from recent attacks.
Was+London+Bomb+Plot+Heralded+On+Web%3F

News Tools

United KingdomUnited Kingdom
Learn about the people, economy and history.
Was+London+Bomb+Plot+Heralded+On+Web%3F

RELATED STORIES & LINKS

Second Car Bomb Discovered In London
First Device Disarmed In Theater District; Another Explosive Device Found In Second Car
Second Car Bomb Discovered In London

Seven Sentenced In U.K. Terror Plot
Up To 26 Years For Seven Men Convicted In Plot To Bomb U.S. And British Financial Landmarks
Seven Sentenced In U.K. Terror Plot

5 Get Life In Prison For U.K. Bomb Plot
Five Al Qaeda-Linked Men Accused Of Plotting London Bombing Spree
5 Get Life In Prison For U.K. Bomb Plot




LONDON, June 29, 2007

Previous ImageNext Image

Quote

"There was no indication that we were going to be attacked this way".

Peter Clarke, Counter-Terrorism commander

WHAT DO YOU THINK?




(CBS) This article was written by CBSNews.com's Tucker Reals.




Hours before London explosives technicians dismantled a large car bomb in the heart of the British capital's tourist-rich theater district, a message appeared on one of the most widely used jihadist Internet forums, saying: "Today I say: Rejoice, by Allah, London shall be bombed."

CBS News found the posting, which went on for nearly 300 words, on the "al Hesbah" chat room. It was left by a person who goes by the name abu Osama al-Hazeen, who appears regularly on the forum. The comment was posted on the forum, according to time stamp, at 08:09 a.m. British time on June 28 -- about 17 hours before the bomb was found early on June 29.

Al Hesbah is frequently used by international Sunni militant groups, including al Qaeda and the Taliban, to post propaganda videos and messages in their fight against the West.

There was no way for CBS News to independently confirm any connection between the posting made Thursday night and the car bomb found Friday.

Al-Hazeen's message begins: "In the name of God, the most compassionate, the most merciful. Is Britain Longing for al Qaeda's bombings?"

Al-Hazeen decries the recent knighthood of controversial author Salman Rushdie as a blow felt by all British Muslims. "This 'honoring' came at a crucial time, a time when the whole nation is reeling from the crusaders attacks on all Muslim lands," he said, in an apparent reference to the British role in Iraq.

"We say to Britain: The Emir of al Qaeda, Sheikh Osama, has once threatened you, and he carried out his threats. Today I say: Rejoice, by Allah, London shall be bombed," the message reads.

Speaking at a news conference Friday after the bomb scare in central London, the Metropolitan Police force's Counter-Terrorism Commander Peter Clarke said that officials had "no indication that we were going to be attacked this way".

Prior to the Thursday night posting by al-Hazeen, there had been no specific allusions to threats against London or Britain seen on al Hesbah, or any other major jihadist forums in recent weeks.

Several responses to the posting by other forum members expressed hope that an attack against London would be realized in the near future.

In response, al-Hazeen urges patience, saying, "Victory is very close, but you are just rushing it."

Reached by CBSNews.com Friday, the Metropolitan Police's media office could not confirm whether investigators were aware of the Internet posting on al Hesbah.

Intelligence sources who spoke to CBS News Friday morning seemed to express surprise at the discovery of the device, suggesting there had been "no warning, no intel, no smell" as a prelude to the plot — a vacuum of information which reportedly had Britain's domestic intelligence agency "very, very worried".

The attempted bombing in London's Haymarket area came one week before the second anniversary of the July 7 bombings that killed 52 people on London's transportation network.

Also Friday, a London jury was expected to hand down a verdict in the case against five young men who were charged with trying to blow up city buses and trains in 2005.

The men, all from London, were arrested after police found homemade devices on trains and buses that had failed to detonate properly — sending puffs of smoke from backpacks that frightened commuters, but injured no one.

Early reports from law enforcement officials indicate that the car bomb found Friday morning may also have failed to detonate properly — causing smoke to appear in the passenger area. It was the smoke that prompted people to call explosives officers to the scene.

One explosives expert told the British Broadcasting Corporation that the device — comprised of gas canisters and nails — appeared to be a fairly crude construction, and not the work of anyone with an extensive knowledge of weaponry.

Britain has wrestled since the July 7, 2005, over how to deal with the threat of "homegrown" terrorism. Young men from the country's large Muslim population are easy prey for radical clerics and propaganda campaigns propagated on Internet forums such as al Hesbah.

In addition to messages calling for jihad in Britain, detailed video demonstrations of how to construct bombs using gas canisters are readily available on the forums.

By Tucker Reals
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



E-Mail This StoryPrintable VersionTag With del.icio.usDigg This

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not CBS News stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

Comments [ + Post Your Own ]
INSIDE War On Terror
Pakistan May Impose State Of Emergency
Secretary Of State Rice Contacts President Gen. Musharraf; Pakistani Leader Bails On Meeting In Kabul
Taliban's Attack On U.S. Base Fails
U.K. Asks For Release Of 5 From Guantanamo
Cracks Emerging In U.S.-Pakistan Alliance
• More

TOP STORIES
Rescue Drilling Nears Trapped Utah Miners
Small Hole About 500 Feet From Miners, Still No Word From Inside As 4th Day Begins
Opera's Pavarotti Hospitalized In Italy
China Weighs Economic "Nuclear Option"
Space Shuttle Endeavour Blasts Off
• More


Back To Top Back To Top



Advertisement

Go To CBS News Video




RELATED VIDEO

Watch VideoLondon Bomb Plot Foiled | Email this video

Watch VideoTerrorists' Chilling Message | Email this video

Watch VideoExpert On London Bomb Scare | Email this video

Watch VideoExpert On British Bomb Scare | Email this video

Watch VideoBritish Bomb Scare | Email this video

WAR ON TERROR VIDEOSAll War On Terror Videos


Watch VideoHelping Veterans Find Jobs | Email this video

Watch VideoU.S. Sets Sights On Iraqi Shia | Email this video

Watch VideoBush Meets With Karzai | Email this video

Watch VideoBaghdad, One Street At A Time | Email this video

TOP VIDEOSAll Videos


Watch VideoCollapsed Utah Mine Tour | Email this video

Watch VideoTips Turning Tide In Iraq | Email this video

Watch VideoEndeavor Launches | Email this video

Watch VideoEndeavour In Orbit | Email this video

More Video

CBS News - Most Popular

  • Show Search Options  • Search Tips
Wireless Alerts:  CBS News To Go  E-Mail Sign-Up:  Breaking News  |  Today On CBS News  |  60 Minutes  |  48 Hours  |  The Early Show  |  CBS Sunday Morning  |  News Summaries

Recommended Sites:  CBS Corporation  |  The ShowBuzz  |  Wallstrip  |  CBS.com  |  CBS SportsLine  |  CWTV.com  |  ETOnline.com  |  The INSIDER  |  CBS Store  |  CBS Careers  |  CBS Cares
Breaking News© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.