A blast occurred at the Parsons Green station, London, this morning at 8:20 BST. The incident took place on a District Line train from Wimbledon and is being treated as an act of terrorism.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner reported that, thankfully, the improvised bomb did not explode “as it was intended”:
Had it worked as intended, it would have killed everyone around it and maimed everyone in the train carriage for life, he said.
In an attack that could have destroyed a whole carriage, only 22 people were taken to the St. Thomas Hospital for treatment of minor burns.
Authorities are not yet certain of the identity of the culprit, but a manhunt is currently underway.
British Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the attack as “cowardly” and stated that it was “intended to cause significant harm.” She went on to explain that the UK’s threat level will remain at the second highest level, severe. There will be an increased presence of armed police officers in public transportation.
This is the fifth instance of terrorism in the UK this year and it is the only one that did not lead to fatalities. Police believe they have prevented six other significant plots.
“The threat of terrorism that we face is severe, but by working together, we will defeat them,” May said, adding that “people should carry on [with their lives], but be vigilant.”
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