London, UK: Major car-bomb attack narrowly averted

Exclusive police source: Authorities searching for "other possible bomb-laden vehicles."

29 June 2007: A metallic-green Mercedes-Benz carrying propane gas cylinders, nails and "other materials" to be detonated was found by police parked on the street in Piccadilly, near the Regent Street shopping area in the Haymarket District of London shortly before 2:00 this morning. According to police, a witness observed the driver of the vehicle crash into bins near the popular nightclub Tiger, Tiger, outside an American Express foreign exchange office, and run away, leaving the vehicle at rest against the bins. The witness then called police, who immediately defused the bomb inside the vehicle.

According to police, the explosive power alone would have been sufficient to cause massive damage to the entire block. "Civilians were the obvious target," stated one police official. A police source exclusive to the Northeast Intelligence Network in London stated that they are actively searching for additional bomb-carrying vehicles, and feel that this was "one of perhaps 'several'" other vehicles carrying IEDs, or improvised explosive devices. This source also suggested that the driver of the vehicle, seen driving erratically before crashing into the garbage bins, might not have intended this area to be the target of the blast.

As reported by the Northeast Intelligence Network, Muslim terrorists have been extensively publishing and posting on Arabic language Internet web sites various plans and instructions on the use of propane gas cylinders for terrorist attacks.

Meanwhile, police are looking at the "timing" of this incident, taking place just days before the second anniversary of the bombing attacks on London's subway system on July 7, 2005, that killed 52 people and injured over 700 others. Officials have also noted that the attempt is most probably timed to coincide with Gordon Brown's first day as Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Recent thefts of propane cylinders in the U.S. have caused concern for police and counter-terrorism officials nationwide.