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Car Bomb Defused In London
London police say explosives experts have defused a car bomb containing gas cylinders in London's west end, close to Piccadilly Circus.
Witnesses said a car crashed in the area around 2AM: The driver was seen to run away, and people leaving a nightclub saw gas cylinders in the car. There are unconfirmed reports of six inch nails scattered around the vehicle, which would suggest the bomb was designed to cause a maximum of civilian casualties.
UPDATE: Police sources now say that the bomb was packed with 60 litres of oil, gas and nails: It would have caused "carnage" had it exploded, they say. "International elements" are believed to be behind the attempted terror attack.
The area was cordoned off and a controlled explosion was carried out.
There are conflicting reports on the size of the bomb: The BBC reports a police source who described it as a "big device", while a Westminister source said it was "relatively small."
While the terror level in Britain is ranked as "high", intelligence sources claim that the attack took them by surprise. Car bombs are usually the provenance of Irish Republican groups, though the spotlight is obviously going to fall on Islamist jihadis.
