Met will ‘bend every sinew’ in hunt for terrorists
Metropolitan police commission Sir Ian Blair promised today that his officers would go all out to track down the people behind yesterday’s terrorist attacks in London.
He also confirmed that the death toll from the bombings on London’s public transport system had passed 50.
Speaking at a press conference in Westminster, Sir Ian spoke of the police’s “implacable resolve” to track down those responsible for the blasts.
“That is something we will bend every sinew of the Metropolitan police service … to do. The entire weight of the anti-terrorist branch of Scotland Yard is aimed implacably, as I said, at this operation,” he said.
More than 50 people had been killed in the blasts but problems at two of the bombsites made it impossible to be more precise, he said.
Emergency services were unable to retrieve bodies from the train that was hit between Russell Square and King’s Cross because the tunnel was unstable.
However, Sir Ian said the final death toll would be under 100. There were currently 22 people were still in serious and critical condition, and one person had died in hospital.
There had only been four bombs, Sir Ian said, although police had also made two controlled explosions.
On reports of suicide bombings, he said: “We have absolutely nothing to suggest that this was a suicide bombing attack, although nothing at this stage can be ruled out.”
Sir Ian expressed the police’s “massive sympathy” for those affected by the attacks, and his admiration for the way Londoners of all faiths and backgrounds had united in the face of the atrocities.
“This was a fantastic example of team London at work,” he said.
“This was a very significant incident with many scenes and to know that the health services, local authorities, various police services, TfL [all] worked well together was very significant indeed.”
