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London's Security Couldn't Stop Brazen Bombings By Ken Bastida 7/15/05 |
Last Thursday's attack on
London's transit system was discouraging not only in its brazenness, but also for its location. For years, London has been considered one of the most
high-tech, bomb-resistant cities in the world.
London is blanketed with tens of thousands of
security cameras, first installed to combat a wave of bombings by the IRA in the 1990s. The cameras are so powerful that they can zoom in on cars, drivers, and even pedestrians on the street. After one bombing in London's Financial District, the cameras produced images of the bomber buying explosives and carrying them to the sites in duffel bags. The images helped ultimately to crack the case.
Bay Area researcher and international consultant Steve Weber recently returned from London, and says the British government paid special attention to the securing the transportation system. Double-decker buses, like the one that was bombed Thursday, have three
security cameras on board — one on top and two on the bottom.
London's use of surveillance cameras has been widely mimicked here in the U.S. since the 9/11 attacks. But all this begs the question: why were suspected Al Qaeda Terrorists able to attack so many targets so precisely?
While the details of the London bombings are still under investigation, security experts say one thing is clear — if this kind of attack can happen in London, it can happen anywhere. Source: cbs5.com |
