'Explosive device' defused in London UPDATE

'Explosive device' defused in London UPDATE

	Published : Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:55 By : Agencies Print this Story

(Adds Met Police comment)

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Police cordoned off part of central London after they defused what they called a 'potentially viable explosive device' found in a car.

Police said they went to The Haymarket, a street near the Piccadilly Circus landmark, just before 2.00 am because of a suspicious car.

The security alert came only two days after Gordon Brown took over as Britain's prime minister and one week before the second anniversary of the July 7, 2005 attacks that saw 52 commuters and four suicide bombers killed in London.

'As a precautionary measure the immediate area was cordoned off while the vehicle was examined by explosives officers,' police said in a statement.

'They discovered what appeared to be a potentially viable explosive device. This was made safe'.

'The Metropolitan Police Service Counter Terrorism Command has launched an investigation. The Haymarket is likely to remain closed for the foreseeable future,' the Met said in a statement.

'The public are advised that there is likely to be local disruption to both pedestrians and vehicles. Piccadilly underground station is open, but exit restrictions are in place.'

The alert, in a zone normally packed with tourists, theatre-goers and revelers, brought heavy traffic congestion to London's West End and disruption on the London Underground.

A blue tent covering what is believed to be the car was in place behind police tape, as what appeared to be plain clothes officers walked past.

The new Justice Secretary Jack Straw told BBC radio that the government had been informed of the alert.

Straw, the former home and foreign secretary, whose time as foreign minister was dominated by the Iraq war, declined to comment further. 'It's really for the police to make a statement when they judge the time is right'.

An investigation has been launched by the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism unit. A spokesman said more information would be released later.

Britain is currently on the second highest level of security alert -- 'severe'.

The domestic intelligence service, MI5, assesses that there is a 'serious and sustained threat from international terrorism to the UK and UK interests overseas. The current threat level is assessed as 'severe'.

'The most significant terrorist threat comes from Al-Qaeda and associated networks,' MI5 said on its website.

There is also threat from the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

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