London Stands United

CNN: UK police: Latest bombers failed - Two weeks to the day after the July 7 London bombings, attackers tried -- and failed -- to set off explosive devices at three Tube stations and on a double-decker bus.

BBC: London attackers 'meant to kill' - Four attempted bombings in London were designed to kill people, the head of the Metropolitan Police has said.

BBC: Blair urges calm after explosions - Prime Minister Tony Blair has urged Londoners to be calm and to get back to business as normal following a series of minor explosions on Thursday.

Guardian Unlimited: Rapid response gets even faster second time round - Praise all round for quick reaction from emergency services.

Some messages from witnesses -

"They were absolutely panicking, they were panicking and distressed."

"I started to shout for everyone to get off and not to run, many people hesitated. The TfL staff who came to the platform were brave and efficient. No-one was injured but many of us were very shocked. I've never hugged so many strangers with such feeling before."

"Some people said 'do not panic'. In my mind I thought 'why not panic?' "

"I saw people coming out, some were running, some were walking, some were telling other people to calm down and not to panic. The police turned up within minutes, it seemed like seconds really."

"I thought I was going to die, everyone else thought the same."

"I heard one girl say 'I saw him' while others, many of them young kids, were still screaming and panicking."

"The guy just ran and started running up the escalator everyone was screaming to stop him."

"Apparently a guy was running away so they tried to catch him."


I think of some words from the begining of a movie, 'Love Actually': "When the planes hit the Twin Towers, none of the phone calls from people on board were messages of hate or revenge, they were all massages of love." Yes, London now is a place full of love! They have not been so close to strangers. I saw some braveness and courage in this incident, though there were also panic and confusion. Londoners were united at this stage. I'm not sure if it's easy for them to get back to normal, but I believe they will become stronger!