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Bombings linked to Iraq - poll
25/07/2005 09:28 - (SA)
London - The vast majority of Britons believe the London bombings are linked to Britain's involvement in the Iraq conflict, according to a survey to be published on Monday.
The YouGov survey for the Daily Mirror newspaper and GMTV found that 23 percent of 1 671 respondents thought the war was the main cause of the attacks, while another 62 percent thought it was a contributory factor.
Only 12 percent said they thought it was not a significant cause of the twin bomb attacks on the London mass transport system on July 7 and 21.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has dismissed suggestions that his support for the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 has made Britain a target for Muslim jihadis willing to wage "holy war" against perceived enemies of Islam.
Twisted logic
He has said such thinking was dangerously close to "the sort of perverted and twisted logic" used by the bombers, pointing out that numerous terrorist atrocities were committed against Western countries before the Iraq invasion.
But the Iraq link has also been noted by the respected Royal Institute of International Affairs think tank, which has said the war made Britain a more tempting target for terrorists.
Another newspaper poll last week said two-thirds of Britons believed there was a connection between the London bombings and the conflict.
Despite the killing of an innocent Brazilian man by armed anti-terrorist officers in London on Friday, the YouGov poll found that 71 percent of people supported a shoot-to-kill policy for suspected terrorists.
Almost half, or 49 percent, said they would support armed police patrolling buses and trains, with 39 percent against.
Fifth bomber
Meanwhile, a fifth bomber could be on the loose in Britain after last week's attempted suicide attacks by four men in London, The Times newspaper reported in its Monday edition.
More heavily armed undercover police will be deployed in the investigation after a suspect package found in a west London park indicated a fifth bomber was at large, the paper said.
Three men have been arrested after the failed bomb attacks on Underground trains and a bus on Thursday, but police have released no details about their identities or their alleged role in the conspiracy.
No one was injured in the attacks because the bombs failed to explode properly. The would-be suicide bombers fled the scenes, leaving their rucksack bombs behind for police to scour for valuable forensic evidence.
The Times said another bag found Saturday at a park in Wormwood Scrubs, west London, contained the same type of explosive device which the suspects left on the trains and the bus when they fled.
This suggested to police that a fifth bomber "may have abandoned his mission for unknown reasons", the Times reported.
- AFP
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