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'I saw it, he's dead'
22/07/2005 13:33 - (SA)
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| A commuter reads the morning headlines onboard the Underground after the latest bomb attacks in London. (Sergio Dionisio, AP) |
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London - Police shot and killed a man at a London subway station on Friday, a day after the city was hit by its second wave of terror attacks in two weeks.
The details of the shooting at Stockwell station in south London were not immediately clear, but media reports said he was a suspected bomber.
Passengers said a man, described as South Asian, ran onto a train. Witnesses said police chased him, he tripped, and police then shot him.
"They pushed him onto the floor and unloaded five shots into him. I saw it. He's dead. Five shots. He's dead," witness Mark Whitby told the British Broadcasting Corporation. "He looked like a cornered fox. He looked petrified."
Five shots
"One of the police officers was holding a black automatic pistol in his left hand. They held it down to him and unloaded five shots into him. I saw it. He's dead. Five shots. He's dead."
Whitby said the man didn't appear to have been carrying anything but said he was wearing a thick coat that looked padded.
British Transport Police said the Northern and Victoria Tube lines, which pass through Stockwell, were suspended because of the shooting.
Elsewhere, police evacuated one of London's largest mosques after a bomb threat.
"Someone phoned our director and said there was a bomb inside," said Mohammed Abdul Bari, chairman of the East London Mosque. The Metropolitan Police lifted the cordon about an hour later. The force said no armed officers were involved, and the incident appeared unrelated to subway shooting.
More than 6 000 people were expected for Friday afternoon prayers but there were only about a dozen people inside at the time the threat was telephoned in.
A statement posted Friday on an Islamic website in the name of an al-Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility for Thursday's attacks. The group, Abu Hafs al Masri Brigade, also claimed responsibility for the July 7 bombings. Jittery commuters already facing cutbacks in service from the last attack faced more Underground closures Friday.
"People are worried, but if it's going to happen, it's going to happen isn't it?" said Chidi O'Hanekwu, 23. Still, he said he found himself being "a bit more paranoid" on the ride in.
Mia Clarkson, 24, defiantly said she refused to change her schedule. "You've got to keep living, don't you?" she said as she exited the Chancery Lane station after a trip from across town.
Newspapers reflected the city's volatile mood - part defiance, part anxiety.
Police would not comment on the search for suspects, but witnesses described seeing men fleeing several of the attack scenes. The agency that runs London's transportation system, Transport for London, said the three affected subway stations remained closed on Friday, and service was suspended on all or part of several lines. Other lines have been disrupted since the attacks two weeks ago.
Saudi ambassador Prince Turki al-Faisal said the attacks had "all the hallmarks" of al-Qaeda.
- AP
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