Homeland Security

DATE=7/22/2005

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=LONDON BOMBINGS (L-UPDATE)

NUMBER=2-326113

BYLINE=MICHAEL DRUDGE

DATELINE=LONDON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

///EDS: UPDATES CN 2-326111 WITH CLAIM OF RESPONSIBILITY IN LAST GRAF; WILL BE FURTHER UPDATED AS WARRANTED///

HEADLINE: London Police Intensify Hunt for Transit Bombers

INTRO: London police say they have unexploded bombs and other evidence that they hope will lead them to the perpetrators behind four small explosions on the mass transit system Thursday. Authorities say the attackers apparently tried, but failed, to mimic bombings that killed 56 people two weeks earlier. We get more from correspondent Michael Drudge in London.

TEXT: Police say the latest attacks were intended to cause mass casualties, but for some reason the bombs did not explode with the same destructive force of those planted on July Seventh.

That has left authorities optimistic they can track down the perpetrators of Thursday's incidents, where small explosions were recorded on three subway trains and a bus. There were no deaths, but one person was wounded.

London Transport Police Deputy Chief Constable Andy Trotter says there are many leads the police are pursuing in their search for the culprits.

///TROTTER ACT///

"It's a good opportunity to get forensic material. They are looking for people this time. And we've got good witnesses, hopefully good CCTV (closed-circuit television), so it's a fast-moving investigation."

///END ACT///

Authorities hope the unexploded bombs and the backpacks containing them might yield fingerprints, DNA and other useful evidence.

A former police commander, John O'Conner, told British television London came close to another large-scale disaster.

///O'CONNER ACT///

"This was a mirror image of what happened on the Seventh of July, and the bomb-maker got it wrong. The detonators seemed to work but the main charges didn't go off. Now that is extraordinarily fortunate for the people that were passengers adjacent to those devices."

///END ACT///

London commuters are returning to mass transport with a mixture of apprehension, resignation and determination.

///VOX POP ACTS///

1st Man: "Everyone's a bit shaky, I think. There are a lot of nervous people out there. It's to be expected, but we have to get on with it. We're not going to let them win."

2nd Man: "You can avoid the Tube (subway) or you can avoid the buses for the next three years, and the day you get on it something could happen, you know. As tragic as it is, I mean, what do you do?"

///END ACT///

A group called the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades has claimed responsibility for Thursday's explosions in a posting on an Islamic web site. The same group, which says it is part of the al-Qaida terrorist network, also has claimed responsibility for the July Seventh bombings, though authorities have not authenticated that claim. (Signed).

NEB/MWD/