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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain has launched an intense search for those responsible for a series of four coordinated bombings Thursday in London's transport system that killed at least 37 people and wounded 700.
"There will, of course, be the most intense police and security service action to make sure that we bring those responsible to justice," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Police do not know whether suicide bombers carried out the attacks or whether bombs had been left in packages on the Underground or in buses, according to Brian Paddick, Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner.
"There is no indication that these were anything other than conventional explosives," he said, adding that there was no information yet on the size or type of devices used.
Paddick said it wasn't clear whether the bombs were on the trains or in the tunnels.
"It would seem likely that the devices were on the trains, but that will be confirmed by" investigators, he said.
The Group of al Qaeda of Jihad Organization in Europe claimed responsibility in a Web site posting. The authenticity of the claim could not immediately be verified.
Blair stressed that the bombers did not reflect the views of most Muslims.
"We know that these people act in the name of Islam, but we also know that the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims here and abroad are decent, law abiding people who abhor the act of terrorism every bit as much as we do," he said.
Blair had flown back to London from the G8 summit in Scotland, after the bombing.
In Washington, U.S. Homeland Defense Secretary Michael Chertoff told a news conference the U.S. national threat level would be raised to orange for "regional and inner city passenger rail, subways and metropolitan bus systems."
In London, witnesses described the horror of seeing victims dying and with serious injuries. There were scenes of panic as power failed on crowded underground trains, and tunnels filled with smoke.
"We were all trapped like sardines waiting to die," said Angelo Power. "I honestly thought I was going to die, as did everyone else."
CNN's Charles Hodson, reporting from the scene of one of the bombings, said London had ground to a halt as the subway and bus systems were shut down by the attacks.
The death toll was expected to rise and London hospitals reported many people in critical and serious condition.
Three of the blasts took place in the city's subway system and one more hit a double-decker bus, all at the height of rush hour.
International SOS, an international medical emergency service, reported that the police had found explosive traces in at least one of four confirmed blast locations.
Scotland Yard's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick told a news conference that there had been 33 deaths in the three train incidents plus an unknown number of fatalities in the bus attack.
There had been no warnings given and the police had received no claim of responsibility for the attacks, he said -- though he later added that police were aware of the Web site claim by a self-proclaimed al Qaeda-linked group and would be looking at it.
Hospital officials have reported at least 160 wounded. London transit officials shut down the entire Underground and stopped buses in the central city district.
Paddick said the first explosion had come at 8:51 a.m. BST (0351 ET) near Liverpool Street, Aldgate and Aldgate East Underground stations, where seven were confirmed dead.
At 8:56 a.m. there was a second explosion on a Piccadilly Line train near Kings Cross and Russell Square tube stations, where 21 were confirmed dead.
At 9:17 a.m. there was an explosion on a train traveling into Edgware Road station, affecting two other trains, with five confirmed dead.
At 9:47 a.m. there was an explosion on a bus at Upper Woburn Place near Tavistock Square. Fatalities have been confirmed, but the number is unknown at this stage.
Scotland Yard issued a casualty hotline number: 0870 1566 344.
There were 700-900 people on each of the affected trains at the time, he added.
"This is a callous attack on purely innocent members of the public deliberately designed to kill and injure members of the public," Paddick said.
In a response to a question asking if security had been increased during the time of the G8 summit, he said that the security level had been "high" over recent months.
"We have had all the security services actively engaged in anti terrorism activity in this period," he said.
Blair, in Scotland where he is hosting the G8 summit, told reporters he would leave the summit for a "face to face" report in London and then return later in the evening.
"It's reasonably clear there have been a series of terrorist attacks in London," Blair said. "There are obviously casualties, both people that have died and people that are seriously injured."
Blair said it was "also reasonably clear" that the attacks were timed to coincide with the opening of the summit.
"It's particularly barbaric that this has happened on a day when people are meeting to try to help the problems of poverty in Africa and the long-term problems with the environment," he said.
Just before leaving for London, Blair made a second statement, surrounded by the other leaders present at the conference.
"All of our countries have suffered from the impact of terrorism," he said. "Those responsible have no respect for human life. We are united in our resolve to confront and defeat this terrorism that is not an attack on one nation, but all nations and on civilized people everywhere."
U.S. President George W. Bush was among the somber leaders who stood behind Blair as he spoke.
"We will not yield to these people, will not yield to the terrorists," he said in a short statement after Blair departed. "We will find them, we will bring them to justice, and at the same time we will spread an ideology of hope and compassion that will overwhelm their ideology of hate."
London Mayor Ken Livingstone said the blasts were "mass murder" carried out by terrorists bent on "indiscriminate ... slaughter."
The Web site claim of responsibility by a self-proclaimed and previously unheard of al Qaeda group in Europe said the blasts were "in retaliation for the massacres Britain is committing in Iraq and Afghanistan."
"Here is Britain burning now out of fear and horror in its north, south east and west," the statement said, translated from Arabic by CNN. "We have often and repeatedly warned the British government and people."
CNN.com
"There will, of course, be the most intense police and security service action to make sure that we bring those responsible to justice," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Police do not know whether suicide bombers carried out the attacks or whether bombs had been left in packages on the Underground or in buses, according to Brian Paddick, Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner.
"There is no indication that these were anything other than conventional explosives," he said, adding that there was no information yet on the size or type of devices used.
Paddick said it wasn't clear whether the bombs were on the trains or in the tunnels.
"It would seem likely that the devices were on the trains, but that will be confirmed by" investigators, he said.
The Group of al Qaeda of Jihad Organization in Europe claimed responsibility in a Web site posting. The authenticity of the claim could not immediately be verified.
Blair stressed that the bombers did not reflect the views of most Muslims.
"We know that these people act in the name of Islam, but we also know that the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims here and abroad are decent, law abiding people who abhor the act of terrorism every bit as much as we do," he said.
Blair had flown back to London from the G8 summit in Scotland, after the bombing.
In Washington, U.S. Homeland Defense Secretary Michael Chertoff told a news conference the U.S. national threat level would be raised to orange for "regional and inner city passenger rail, subways and metropolitan bus systems."
In London, witnesses described the horror of seeing victims dying and with serious injuries. There were scenes of panic as power failed on crowded underground trains, and tunnels filled with smoke.
"We were all trapped like sardines waiting to die," said Angelo Power. "I honestly thought I was going to die, as did everyone else."
CNN's Charles Hodson, reporting from the scene of one of the bombings, said London had ground to a halt as the subway and bus systems were shut down by the attacks.
The death toll was expected to rise and London hospitals reported many people in critical and serious condition.
Three of the blasts took place in the city's subway system and one more hit a double-decker bus, all at the height of rush hour.
International SOS, an international medical emergency service, reported that the police had found explosive traces in at least one of four confirmed blast locations.
Scotland Yard's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick told a news conference that there had been 33 deaths in the three train incidents plus an unknown number of fatalities in the bus attack.
There had been no warnings given and the police had received no claim of responsibility for the attacks, he said -- though he later added that police were aware of the Web site claim by a self-proclaimed al Qaeda-linked group and would be looking at it.
Hospital officials have reported at least 160 wounded. London transit officials shut down the entire Underground and stopped buses in the central city district.
Paddick said the first explosion had come at 8:51 a.m. BST (0351 ET) near Liverpool Street, Aldgate and Aldgate East Underground stations, where seven were confirmed dead.
At 8:56 a.m. there was a second explosion on a Piccadilly Line train near Kings Cross and Russell Square tube stations, where 21 were confirmed dead.
At 9:17 a.m. there was an explosion on a train traveling into Edgware Road station, affecting two other trains, with five confirmed dead.
At 9:47 a.m. there was an explosion on a bus at Upper Woburn Place near Tavistock Square. Fatalities have been confirmed, but the number is unknown at this stage.
Scotland Yard issued a casualty hotline number: 0870 1566 344.
There were 700-900 people on each of the affected trains at the time, he added.
"This is a callous attack on purely innocent members of the public deliberately designed to kill and injure members of the public," Paddick said.
In a response to a question asking if security had been increased during the time of the G8 summit, he said that the security level had been "high" over recent months.
"We have had all the security services actively engaged in anti terrorism activity in this period," he said.
Blair, in Scotland where he is hosting the G8 summit, told reporters he would leave the summit for a "face to face" report in London and then return later in the evening.
"It's reasonably clear there have been a series of terrorist attacks in London," Blair said. "There are obviously casualties, both people that have died and people that are seriously injured."
Blair said it was "also reasonably clear" that the attacks were timed to coincide with the opening of the summit.
"It's particularly barbaric that this has happened on a day when people are meeting to try to help the problems of poverty in Africa and the long-term problems with the environment," he said.
Just before leaving for London, Blair made a second statement, surrounded by the other leaders present at the conference.
"All of our countries have suffered from the impact of terrorism," he said. "Those responsible have no respect for human life. We are united in our resolve to confront and defeat this terrorism that is not an attack on one nation, but all nations and on civilized people everywhere."
U.S. President George W. Bush was among the somber leaders who stood behind Blair as he spoke.
"We will not yield to these people, will not yield to the terrorists," he said in a short statement after Blair departed. "We will find them, we will bring them to justice, and at the same time we will spread an ideology of hope and compassion that will overwhelm their ideology of hate."
London Mayor Ken Livingstone said the blasts were "mass murder" carried out by terrorists bent on "indiscriminate ... slaughter."
The Web site claim of responsibility by a self-proclaimed and previously unheard of al Qaeda group in Europe said the blasts were "in retaliation for the massacres Britain is committing in Iraq and Afghanistan."
"Here is Britain burning now out of fear and horror in its north, south east and west," the statement said, translated from Arabic by CNN. "We have often and repeatedly warned the British government and people."
CNN.com
