North Greenwich tube station terror alert sparked by bag of wires
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Version 0 of 1. A terror alert at North Greenwich tube station in London was prompted when a worker discovered an abandoned bag “full of wires”. The item was discovered just after 11am on Thursday by train staff. The station was closed, and a controlled explosion was carried out by counter-terrorism investigators. Colleagues of the tube driver involved said a passenger handed a bag to the driver, who took it in into his cab thinking it was lost property. He became suspicious and on closer inspection was able to see wires in the bag, and according to some reports, a clock or some kind of electrical equipment. Neither police nor TfL have confirmed the details of the suspect item. However, a Tube source said: “Staff follow a training procedure known as ‘HOT’ – is the object hidden, obvious, typical? There’s a lot of lost property every week and it’s quite rare for something to be regarded as this suspicious, and obviously for the police to close down the line for this length of time.” Police chiefs ordered extra officers to patrol potential transport targets across London after the suspicious item was found on a Jubilee line train. They said it was a “reassurance” measure, with more officers seen patrolling the capital’s underground network and at key overground stations. The extra patrols were expected to continue as investigators tried to establish the motive for leaving the item on the train, and whether or not it was viable. Unions sought assurances over the safety of the tube following the controlled explosion. The TSSA general secretary, Manuel Cortes, said: “I’d like to pay tribute to all our tube workers who were at the forefront of [the] evacuation of the Jubilee line tube and station at Greenwich North. “However, in light of very serious concerns raised about security by our members following the alarming events, we are urgently pressing for an emergency and immediate security summit with London Underground, British Transport Police, Scotland Yard and City Hall. “Our members are telling us that they are scared and that the company is giving them scant reassurance. The network should be shut until we are given assurances that it’s made as safe as possible for them and for passengers.“ Steve Griffiths, London Underground’s chief operating officer, said: “We understand the concern on the part of some of our staff, and kept everyone informed during the incident. We have been working closely with the police and continue to take all appropriate measures to keep customers and staff safe. “Our teams are trained and very experienced in managing the security of our operations and responded professionally to this incident.” A spokesman for Aslef, the train drivers’ union, said: “Terrorists win by making people afraid, and we just need to do our job properly and continue to be as careful as possible.” The UK is on a heightened state of terrorist alert stoked by fears that an attack by Islamist extremists is highly likely. But there is also the threat of an attack from dissident Irish republicans, which in May was raised to substantial, meaning a terrorist attack is a strong possibility. Police said they were keeping an open mind but that “the Met’s counter-terrorism command is leading the investigation because it has the expertise to deal with incidents of this kind”. Police said: “Shortly after 11am on Thursday 20 October, the British transport police was called to North Greenwich underground station after train staff reported finding a suspicious item on a train travelling eastbound on the Jubilee line. “Specialist officers from the Met and BTP are in attendance and a controlled detonation has since taken place to ensure the item is safe.” |