Friday, July 07, 2006

British People Mark Bombing Anniversary

Prime Minister Tony Blair and members of Britain's Royal Family helped the nation observe two minutes of silence on Friday to commemorate the first anniversary of the deadly transit bombings in London.

Blair took part in the midday tribute alongside uniformed officers at London's Firebrigade headquarters, while Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh.

London mayor Ken Livingstone laid a wreath of flowers outside King's Cross station at 8:50 a.m., the time at which three explosions ripped through separate locations on the subway system one year ago. Another ceremony was held in Tavistock Square, where a bus was torn apart by a fourth blast several minutes later.

Four suicide bombers killed 52 transit riders on July 7, 2005, when they detonated the explosives they had hidden in their backpacks.

John Tulloch, who survived the bombing at Edgware station despite sitting across from alleged bomb ringleader Mohammed Siddique Khan, told CBC News he still struggles with comprehending the duality of Khan, a teacher who did not arouse the suspicion of co-workers.

"All of us have good and bad in us, all of us have raging anger and great love and sympathy," Tulloch said. "How does it happen and what can we do better to stop it happening again?"

Relatives of those who died were invited to attend an evening ceremony in The Regent's Park, where the names of the dead were to be read aloud.

While many commuters went about their business on Friday, announcements elsewhere reminded people to watch for suspicious packages.

(Source:CBC.com)

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