London bomb blast foiled by chance

A massive terrorist strike which could have killed hundreds of nightclub revellers in London was foiled by chance today.

A car bomb packed with petrol, gas canisters and nails was found in the early hours in the British capital’s West End.

Senior officers said the explosion could have caused “significant” injury and loss of life just yards from the landmark neon lights of Piccadilly Circus.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command, said: “There was no intelligence whatsoever that we were going to be attacked in this way.”

Bomb disposal experts disabled the device by hand, saving crucial forensic evidence for police.

The car was spotted by a London ambulance crew when they saw what appeared to be smoke coming from a parked Mercedes saloon in the Haymarket, shortly before 2am.

Hundreds of revellers were on the streets when the alert was first raised, outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub, close to celebrity haunts such as Chinawhite and the famous Trocadero complex.

Police said the smoke is believed to have been vapour released from at least 60 litres of volatile petrol held inside the car.

The failed car bombing carries chilling echoes of explosions in Iraq and Israel, where similar crude devices have killed hundreds.

Mr Clarke said the courage of bomb squad officers saved lives.

He said: “It is obvious that if the device had detonated, there could have been significant injury or loss of life.

“We are doing absolutely everything we can in our power to keep the public safe. The threat from terrorism is real and is here. Life must go on but we must all stay alert to the threat as we go on with our lives.”

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the incident showed that Britain faces “a serious and continuous threat” and the public need to be alert at all times.

A massive manhunt is now underway for whoever parked the metallic light green saloon car in the Haymarket in the early hours or late last night.

Counter-terror detectives, working with MI5 officers, are believed to have a description of the suspect.

A source said it is too early to tell if the perpetrator was a lone individual or part of a wider plot.

The security services are looking at possible international links – including similarities to car bombs used by insurgents in Iraq.

One source said: “It is entirely possible. There are various things – it is outside a nightclub, it is a vehicle-borne device, it is close to the anniversary of the July 7 attacks. But we are keeping an open mind.”

The plot might have been inspired by terrorist mastermind Dhiren Barot, who was jailed for life last November.

He conspired to park limousines packed with gas canisters underneath high-profile buildings before detonating them.

The gang behind the fertiliser bomb planned to target nightclubs such as the Ministry of Sound in London.

The five members, jailed for life earlier this year, had close links with the July 7 London bombers.

The alert was first raised today when paramedics were called to the Haymarket to attend to a man who had fallen and hit his head.

They spotted the suspicious car and called police, who immediately evacuated the nightclub and cordoned off the street.

The inquiry is expected to move extremely quickly because of the wealth of evidence, including the “huge amount” of CCTV footage collected from the busy area.

Thousands of rush-hour commuters suffered delays as Piccadilly Circus Tube station remained closed today.

The alert came almost two years after four suicide bombers brought carnage to London’s transport network, claiming the lives of 52 people on July 7.