News reports coming in about Leeds
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richardm
Philosopher
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... just that there have been several raids in W. Yorks this morning. Sounds like they might have found something.
Edited to add: 500 people evacuated. So it sounds like it might be quite a big something.
2nd edit: Okay, so far they're being very cagey. They're only just entering an apparently unoccupied building, and have evacuated six streets as a precaution. It appears that they haven't found anything just yet.
Edited to add: 500 people evacuated. So it sounds like it might be quite a big something.
2nd edit: Okay, so far they're being very cagey. They're only just entering an apparently unoccupied building, and have evacuated six streets as a precaution. It appears that they haven't found anything just yet.
Yeah I've just heard that there isn't actually anyone there, so it isn't a shootout or hostage situation or anything.
Sounds like possibaly a booby-trapped house, but reports are just coming in at the moment.
And it's all alternating with reports of an explosion in Spain (in Basque country).
What a lovely world to live in.
Sounds like possibaly a booby-trapped house, but reports are just coming in at the moment.
And it's all alternating with reports of an explosion in Spain (in Basque country).
What a lovely world to live in.
What the heck are you guys making your doors out of over there?richardm said:
Glad this seems to be an offensive operation by the good guys and no one's in danger. Hope those people evacuated are able to get back to their lives soon. And, obviously, I hope that some bad guys are caught.
brodski
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manny said:What the heck are you guys making your doors out of over there?
The part of Leeds that most of these raid are taking place in is a high crime area, many of the streets there are slums let by uncaring absentee landlords (generally this area is a real S***hole, I say this and I have in Oldham!), its also part of the student district, it is not uncommon for some people to have highly
re-enforced doors and windows (or so my sister tells me, she lived quite close until last year, when she moved to the other side of the city)
BillC
Bazooka Joe
I lived in this area of Leeds -- Hyde Park Road -- when I was a student in the 1980's. It's pretty rough and run-down -- I wouldn't want to be living there any more.
(Trivia fact: the song "Bedsitter" was written by Soft Cell about this neighbourhood.)
(Trivia fact: the song "Bedsitter" was written by Soft Cell about this neighbourhood.)
The BBC News reports are changing all the time, and some earlier items seem to be missing.
Anyway: it seems all four suspects were British born. Three of them were from West Yorkshire, and presumably lived in some of houses that have been searched. One relative has been arrested. There is a Luton connection, perhaps the fourth bomber. The suspected bus bomber had been reported missing, but not the others. Investigators think that three (and possibly all four) of the bombers died. I hope so, as that reduces the human death toll.
Local radio reported two controlled explosions, but they might both have been at the same house. Six houses have been searched, and ‘a significant amount of explosive material has been found’.
Burley (where the controlled explosion(s) took place) is very close to the University campus, and is mainly rented housing with a lot of students. It is about a mile from where I work (I didn’t hear anything). Beeston, where I lived as a child and again for a year in 1993, is a fairly poor but not particularly run-down area, mainly families but some students. (The first I knew of what was happening was when I looked at the BBC News and saw the next street to my former home cordoned off and full of armed police and security vehicles.) Holbeck is very run down, with a lot of students. Thornhill, Dewsbury, is a couple of miles from my home. It is very much a family area, largely Muslim. If one of the suspects lived here it is likely to have been with his family.
We noticed that a police video van has been parked by a major road close to Burley since at least Monday morning, which suggests that they were watching for a particular vehicle, perhaps the one that was found at Luton.
It is horribly close to home, and we can’t avoid the thought that someone we know could be involved, perhaps one of my son’s old school-mates. As he says, there were a few that you could imagine going that way. There must be many Muslims here afraid that one of the murderers will turn out to be a relative.
Anyway: it seems all four suspects were British born. Three of them were from West Yorkshire, and presumably lived in some of houses that have been searched. One relative has been arrested. There is a Luton connection, perhaps the fourth bomber. The suspected bus bomber had been reported missing, but not the others. Investigators think that three (and possibly all four) of the bombers died. I hope so, as that reduces the human death toll.
Local radio reported two controlled explosions, but they might both have been at the same house. Six houses have been searched, and ‘a significant amount of explosive material has been found’.
Burley (where the controlled explosion(s) took place) is very close to the University campus, and is mainly rented housing with a lot of students. It is about a mile from where I work (I didn’t hear anything). Beeston, where I lived as a child and again for a year in 1993, is a fairly poor but not particularly run-down area, mainly families but some students. (The first I knew of what was happening was when I looked at the BBC News and saw the next street to my former home cordoned off and full of armed police and security vehicles.) Holbeck is very run down, with a lot of students. Thornhill, Dewsbury, is a couple of miles from my home. It is very much a family area, largely Muslim. If one of the suspects lived here it is likely to have been with his family.
We noticed that a police video van has been parked by a major road close to Burley since at least Monday morning, which suggests that they were watching for a particular vehicle, perhaps the one that was found at Luton.
It is horribly close to home, and we can’t avoid the thought that someone we know could be involved, perhaps one of my son’s old school-mates. As he says, there were a few that you could imagine going that way. There must be many Muslims here afraid that one of the murderers will turn out to be a relative.
Jon_in_london
Illuminator
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Whose the best police force in the world then? 
edit- the BBC is reporting a substantial amount of explosives in the car in Luton.....
edit- the BBC is reporting a substantial amount of explosives in the car in Luton.....
So it seems. British suicide bombers slaughtering Brits (including Muslims). I notice that the BBC site is now saying the suspects are ‘of Pakistani origin’, rather than British-born as they’ve been saying most of the day. I don’t know which is right, but the difference is important.
More attacks were planned, and, as there has only been one arrest, some of them are still out there.
Now’s the opportunity for the West Yorkshire Muslim community to show what it’s made of. I am wondering whether there’ll be the full complement of Muslims on the train tomorrow (Leeds, via Dewsbury). If I were a member of that community I would be organising as many people as possible to travel by public transport tomorrow to show (1) courage and solidarity in the face of the islamist terrorist threat, and (2) that they’re not intimidated by a possible racist backlash.