US transport on orange alert after London attacks

The terror alert was raised from yellow to orange on the United States’ transport system today as America reacted to the scenes of death and devastation in London.

Security was beefd up on buses and trains across the country and commuters were warned to be extra vigilant as they left for work.

Police and security chiefs stressed there was no specific intelligence to suggest a similar attack was planned but contingency operations were enacted in several cities before dawn.

President George Bush offered the “heartfelt condolences” of the American people to the victims and their families in London.

He called a brief video conference with national and homeland security officials in Washington from the G8 summit in Gleneagles.

“I urged them to be extra vigilant as our folks head to work,” he said.

“We will not yield to terrorists. We will find them and bring them to justice.”

Bomb-sniffing dogs and armed police officers were immediately sent to patrol subways and buses in the US capital while in New York, thousands of uniformed officers were deployed to keep a close eye on public transport systems.

Police leave was put on hold as helicopters hovered over the harbours and monitored underground tunnels and waterways.

An NYPD spokesman confirmed “special attention” was being paid to UK-related buildings in the city, thought to include the British consulate and high profile British-based companies.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said: “We know all too well what London is experiencing. This attack against the people of London hits close to home.”

The fatal blasts entirely dominated the 24-hour news channels as live pictures of the victims and the bloody aftermath streamed on to televisions.

For more than seven hours, CNN relegated the rest of the day’s news to scrolling headlines at the bottom of the picture.

Authorities in major cities across the US were urged to implement heightened vigilance on transport systems.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the code orange instruction applied to underground stations, light rail and selected bus routes. The US overall terror alert remained at yellow, or elevated.

He said the security level was heightened because of the possibility of a “copy-cat attack” but was quick to reassure the American public there was no specific threat.

Precautionary measures include increased levels of police, bomb detection squads, sniffer dogs, video surveillance, spot testing, and added perimeter barriers.

A uniformed police presence was also considerably increased in cities including Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

As rush hour kicked in on the west coast, LA police activated a department operation centre and all officers were held over on duty from night shifts.

New York police carried out a safety drill on a Manhattan subway station while Amtrak, the major US rail company which serves some 46 states, heightened its security threat level.

Commuters in Washington, New York and across the US were urged to continue their days as normal and most were apparently undeterred, with no reported drop in the use of public transport Politicians, police and security chiefs lined up to offer heartfelt condolences, empathy and support to Londoners and the UK as a whole.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ordered a review of all US facilities overseas. “We must let terrorists know that they cannot win and that our resolve is strong,” she said.

“These were innocent people on their way to work on a beautiful Thursday. To the people of Great Britain, our deepest sympathies and solidarity.”

New York Governor George Pataki said: “We were again reminded of the very real and serious threat that terrorism poses for the entire world when this morning the people of London were the victims of a horrible attack.

“Our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones.”

As the death toll slowly rose, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that condemned the brutal attack and expressed its deepest sympathies to the victims.

Secretary General Kofi Annan echoed the sentiment, saying he was “devastated” by the bombings.

“These vicious acts have cut us all to the core, for they are an attack on humanity itself,” he said.

“Today, the world stands shoulder to shoulder with the British people.”

The blasts invoked inevitable comparisons to the September 11 attacks in New York and several politicians and police chiefs were quick to praise the emergency services’ swift and calm response.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was in London, just yards from the first explosion as it ripped through an underground station.

He said the attacks were an “eerie reminder” of 9/11 but that he was “very much inspired” by the way Londoners reacted to the tragedy.

“The people of London acted in a very brave, a very determined and a very resolute way. They looked like they had been prepared for this. To see how they reacted was awesome.

“They essentially thwarted what the terrorists were trying to achieve, which was to create chaos.

“They did what they had to do, they recovered people, cared for people and moved on and showed that terrorists don’t prevail over free people.”