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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Bomb warning received in London | Bomb warning received in London |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A bomb threat for London has been issued by Irish dissidents in the first coded warning outside Northern Ireland in 10 years, officials say. | |
| The Mall and other central London streets were closed on Monday morning amid a major security alert. | |
| Whitehall officials said the call with the warning came from a number in the Irish Republic on Sunday evening. | |
| The threat level for Northern Ireland-related terrorism, which stands at severe, has not been changed. | |
| The warning comes ahead of the Queen's historic visit to the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday, amid a massive security operation. | |
| The Metropolitan Police said the threat was not specific regarding location or time. | |
| A Scotland Yard spokesman said in a statement: "All officers have been advised to be highly vigilant to ensure the safety of London." | |
| Threat level | Threat level |
| It told the public to continue going about their business but to be vigilant. | It told the public to continue going about their business but to be vigilant. |
| BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said: "My understanding is that this may have come because of a coded warning, which is why there is more concern about it than normal. Threats come in and out all the time. | BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said: "My understanding is that this may have come because of a coded warning, which is why there is more concern about it than normal. Threats come in and out all the time. |
| "But if it was a specific code word warning, that would suggest something more serious and that would be why we have had this alert." | "But if it was a specific code word warning, that would suggest something more serious and that would be why we have had this alert." |
| He added it was significant that the threat level from dissident Irish terrorism had not been raised. | He added it was significant that the threat level from dissident Irish terrorism had not been raised. |
| "Officials I have spoken to are trying to stress that it is not as if they have concrete intelligence of a specific attack at a particular time, or that would have gone up high in terms of the threat." | "Officials I have spoken to are trying to stress that it is not as if they have concrete intelligence of a specific attack at a particular time, or that would have gone up high in terms of the threat." |
| Earlier on Monday, The Mall and Carlton House Terrace were closed after a security alert was sparked by a break-in at Carlton Gardens. | |
| Whitehall officials said the bomb warning call was not directly related to the break-in but had been taken very seriously in the light of the bomb threat. | |
| The break-in is thought to have taken place at 2 Carlton Gardens, which houses the Institute for Government think tank. | |
| That is adjacent to the foreign secretary's residence, where William Hague is believed to have been at the time. | |
| BBC pictures from the scene showed a van of search dogs, and the Met's underwater and confined spaces search team. | |
| 'Real and serious threat' | |
| Roads around Northumberland Avenue were also closed while a bag was destroyed in a controlled explosion. The roads have now re-opened. | |
| Our correspondent, Gordon Corera, said the level of security in the Republic of Ireland would make it difficult for dissidents to disrupt the Queen's visit trip there. | |
| "There was always a concern that timed with the visit there was the possibility of something happening in Northern Ireland, or perhaps in the mainland." | |
| A Home Office spokesman said the UK faced a "real and serious threat from terrorism". | A Home Office spokesman said the UK faced a "real and serious threat from terrorism". |
| "The threat level to Great Britain from Northern Irish-related terrorism remains at substantial, which means that an attack is a strong possibility. | "The threat level to Great Britain from Northern Irish-related terrorism remains at substantial, which means that an attack is a strong possibility. |
| "There is a continuing need for vigilance and the public should report any suspicious activity to the police." | "There is a continuing need for vigilance and the public should report any suspicious activity to the police." |