Massive car bomb 'would have caused carnage'
Hundreds of late-night revellers are feared to have been the target of a massive terrorist car bomb left outside a landmark London nightclub.
Senior police officers said the car, primed with petrol, gas canisters and nails would have caused “carnage” if it had exploded.
The bomb was only discovered by chanceh when a passing ambulance crew noticed strange fumes coming from the car.
An international manhunt is under way tonight for the driver who left it outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub in the capital’s West End.
The club is close to celebrity haunts such as Chinawhite and just yards from the famous neon lights of Piccadilly Circus.
The paramedics were on an unrelated emergency call when they saw what appeared to be smoke coming from a parked Mercedes saloon in the Haymarket shortly before 2am.
The streets would have been extremely busy at that time with many popular nightspots closing between 2am and 3am.
Police were called and evacuated the nightclub and surrounding streets before bomb squad officers arrived and defused the device by hand.
The smoke is believed to have been vapour released from at least 60 litres of volatile petrol held inside the car.
The failed car bombing carries chilling echoes of explosions in Iraq and Israel, where similar crude devices have killed hundreds.
Analysts said the timing, close to the anniversary of the July 7 bombings and soon after Gordon Brown entered Number 10, may also be significant.
It is also a reminder of two foiled terrorist plots in Britain, one of which aimed to target a London nightclub and another which considered using similar car bombs.
As police were put on alert across London, a second suspicious vehicle was discovered close to an underground car park in nearby Park Lane.
Parts of the prestigious street were closed as a police robot inspected the vehicle. Scotland Yard said the two incidents are not linked.
Terrorism boss Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke said the courage of the bomb squad officers who made the Haymarket device safe saved lives.
He said: “It is obvious that if the device had detonated, there could have been significant injury or loss of life.
“We are doing absolutely everything we can in our power to keep the public safe.
“The threat from terrorism is real and is here. Life must go on but we must all stay alert to the threat as we go on with our lives.”
He added: “There was no intelligence whatsoever that we were going to be attacked in this way.”
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the incident showed that Britain faces “a serious and continuous threat” and the public needs to be alert at all times.
A police source said it is too early to tell if the perpetrator was a lone individual or part of a wider plot.
Counter-terror detectives, working with MI5 officers, are believed to have a description of the driver.
The security services are looking at possible international links – including similarities to car bombs used by insurgents in Iraq.
The plot might have been inspired by al-Qaida terrorist mastermind Dhiren Barot, who was jailed for life last November.
He conspired to park limousines packed with gas canisters underneath high-profile buildings before detonating them.
A separate gang behind a fertiliser bomb plot planned to target nightclubs such as the Ministry of Sound in London.
The five members, jailed for life earlier this year, had close links with the July 7 London bombers.
The alert was first raised today when paramedics were called to the Haymarket to attend to a man who had fallen and hit his head.
The inquiry is expected to move extremely quickly because of the wealth of evidence, including the “huge amount” of CCTV footage collected from the busy area.
Thousands of rush-hour commuters suffered delays as Piccadilly Circus Tube station and key streets nearby were closed.
The Government’s emergency response committee, Cobra, met this morning before briefing the Cabinet on the dramatic events.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, speaking in her first full day in the job, said: “What I think is very important is that the public remain vigilant at all times.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell said: “We should praise the police for their professionalism and diligence.”
London Mayor Ken Livingstone said the emergency services deserve the great praise of the people of the capital.
He said: “London can help defeat terrorism, which means that all London’s communities have their part to play in dealing with this threat.”
