London 'in terrorist sights'
2004-07-08 13:17
London - Britain's most senior police officer reiterated on Thursday that London has been targeted by terrorists, and that "massive resources" are being deployed to head off an attack.
"London has been the target of unsuccessful terrorist attacks and a lot has been disrupted," Sir John Stevens, who is expected to retire later this year as the chief of London's Metropolitan Police, told BBC radio.
"We can't disclose to the people what we are doing covertly and even overtly," he explained.
But he added: "We, and the security services MI5 and MI6, are working incredibly hard, and there are massive resources that we're using (to ensure) that no one breaks through in a successful attack."
Besides day-to-day policing in the greater London area, the Metropolitan Police also takes the lead in investigating terrorist activity throughout Britain.
Stevens revealed last March, in the wake of the Madrid train bombings, that "we have actually stopped terrorist attacks happening in London," but gave no details.
Mayor Ken Livingstone added that it would be "miraculous" if the British capital escaped attack.
The last known terrorist incident in London was a car bombing outside a pub in August 2001 blamed on the Real IRA, a Northern Ireland group opposed to peace efforts in the British-ruled province.
Without explicitly referring to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, Stevens said terrorism today "has to be looked at in a different way than we look at Northern Ireland terrorism".
Stevens, 61, was to confirm his intention to retire after a 43-year career in law enforcement when he speaks to the Metropolitan Police Authority, which oversees the work of his force, later on Thursday.
He is, however, expected to continue to lead an investigation - requested by a coroner - into lingering conspiracy theories behind the August 1997 death of Princess Diana in a Paris car crash.
Stevens is expected to be succeeded by his deputy Sir Ian Blair.