Baghdad On The Thames: Huge Car Bomb Defused In Picadilly

Like that very old SNL sketch called Dangerous But Incompetent, fortunately:

The car bomb found in London's West End contained 60 litres of petrol, a large amount of nails and several gas canisters, police have revealed. Detectives believe they have foiled a major terror attack after the "big" explosive device was discovered in a Mercedes early this morning. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said the UK is "currently facing the most serious and sustained threat" and authorities are doing everything they can to protect the public.

Police said if the bomb had gone off it could have caused "significant injury or loss of life".

Bomb squad officers defused it after police received reports of a suspicious vehicle close to the Tiger Tiger nightclub in Piccadilly shortly before 2am.

An ambulance crew, who treated a person in the club in an unrelated incident, reported that there was smoke inside the car.

The bomb was in the Haymarket, near the popular Regent Street shopping area, and security sources say it could have been timed to coincide with Gordon Brown's first day as Prime Minister.

An eyewitness said a man had crashed the vehicle into bins near Tiger Tiger and then ran off, before the alarm was raised.

The timing coincided with hundreds of revellers leaving nightspots.

The massive quantity of petrol along with several propane gas cylinders could have combined to create a massive explosion.

There was so much petrol in the vehicle that the highly flammable vapour it gave off is believed to have looked like smoke.

The area was cordoned off by officers who examined the metallic green car, outside an American Express foreign exchange, and then discovered the device.

So it seems like it was intended to be a suicide car bombing, but the bomber screwed up his detonation device when he crashed, producing only smoke. And the terrorists continue their childish fascination with any company or landmark with "American" in the title, as if we don't know the message they're sending.

They're scanning London's extensive CCTV surveillance system now, which should reveal his face from about thirty angles. Then again, he's probably already fled to Pakistan.

More... Live-blogging (with lots of links) at PJM, and of course by Allah. Allah thinks it's a homegrown idiot, which most of these latest bombers are, of course, but without the technical expertise often provided by a fly-in-fly-out AQ bomb-maker:

As a readily available combustible material, the propane gas held in such cylinders might be considered by someone unable to source high explosives…

A witness reported nails were lying on the floor of the car, which Mr Alford said was another indication the bomb makers were inexperienced.

“Nails could be considered as an additional way of extending the potential damage and lethal range of the device but putting them on the floor is an incompetent way of building a bomb. They would go straight into the ground,” he said.

Thank Allah that radical Islam tends to stunt one's reasoning and scientific competency. As Gunny said, "I'm sure if God wanted you over that obstacle he would have miracled your ass over it."

posted by Ace at 09:17 AM

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