London terror threat 'very grim'
2006-07-07 11:10
London - The terrorist threat to London remains "very grim" a year after the suicide attacks which killed 52 people on Underground trains and a bus, the city's police chief warned on Friday.
Ian Blair, chief of the Metropolitan Police, said three "very serious conspiracies" had been uncovered since July 7 last year.
"The threat has palpably increased. The threat of an attempt getting through is very real," Blair told the BBC.
As he spoke, events to commemorate the victims of the morning rush-hour bombings were underway.
Flower tributes
At King's Cross station, where one of the four suicide attackers struck, culture secretary Tessa Jowell joined London Mayor Ken Livingstone to lay flowers at the spot where, a year ago, desperate relatives posted pictures of those missing.
Livingstone said on Friday the attacks on London were the greatest test faced by the British capital since World War II.
The suicide bombings on the tube and bus network, which killed 52 people, had "indelibly" marked London, the mayor said, adding that Londoners should be proud of how they had coped.
Vigils, silence
Vigils began on Friday at the tube stations and the bus stop where the attacks took place.
At noon, the nation was to fall silent for two minutes in a tribute to the victims, whose names are due to be read out at a commemorative event in Regent's Park in the evening. - Sapa-dpa