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British Police Disable Car Bomb in Central London; Police: Suspect Vehicle in London's Park Lane; Bomb Alert Poses First Challenge for new British Prime Minister

Aired June 29, 2007 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACQUI SMITH, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: We're currently facing the most serious and sustained threat to our security from international terrorism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER CLARKE, SCOTLAND YARD: Even if at this stage, it is obvious that if the device had detonated there could have been significant injury or loss of life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The first duty of a government is the security of the people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Stepped-up security and a call for public vigilance. Britain's new leadership is thrust into an emergency role after police diffuse a potentially powerful car bomb.

It's 5:00 p.m. here in London's Piccadilly.

I'm Becky Anderson. You're watching a special edition of YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Well, suspicious smoke and an alert ambulance crew may just have saved London from a devastating terror attack. And as police now search for the driver of a car that was packed with explosives, they are taking no risks with a second potential threat.

Part of a major road near Buckingham Palace has been closed because of a suspicious vehicle. Police are investigating whether there is any connection to the car bomb found in the Haymarket, which is just about a mile away. Well, that area close to Piccadilly Circus is full of restaurants, theaters and bars.

An ambulance crew called in to help. A nightclub patron noticed smoke coming from a parked Mercedes. Police discovered it was packed with petrol gas cylinders and nails.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARKE: Scientific analysis will tell us what damage or injury could have been caused by this device. However, even at this stage, it is obvious that if the device had detonated, there could have been significant injury or loss of life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, the bomb's discovery comes just two days after Gordon Brown took over as British prime minister.

Well, this, of course, as I say, just two days after Gordon Brown took over, and just less than two years after the anniversary of the bombs in London in July of 2005 in which 52 people were killed, of course, on the transit system.

Now, the British anti-terror chief, Peter Clarke, says, "It is a reminder" -- and I quote -- "the threat from terrorism is real, it's here, and it is enduring."

Let's talk now to our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, who joins me here in Piccadilly Circus.

I mean, this is the first full day on the job for Gordon Brown, the new British prime minister. And you couldn't have made up a script, could you, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) some of his new ministers and new home secretary, Jacqui Smith, her first day on the job, too. She's now been chairing the COBRA committee. This is the chief top emergency committee here.

They've been thrust right into the limelight, when perhaps they were planning to put other issues to the British public. Now they have got to focus on this potential attack. As we heard from both Jacqui Smith and Gordon Brown, there could have been huge casualties.

ANDERSON: This has all the hallmarks of what we have heard to have been terror -- potential terror attacks, and terrorist talk, of course, that the anti-terror police have been tracking.

ROBERTSON: Peter Clarke made that point, and this was interesting, that he made the point without pressure or questions from journalists, alluding to a previous terrorist threat to attack a nightclub. The Ministry of Sound nightclub, Duran Barat (ph), an al Qaeda terrorist now convicted, serving 40 years in this country, in jail, he had planned to attack this nightclub. He had planned other attacks using limousines packed full of petrol, packed full of explosives.

So, the similarities there. Peter Clarke drawing that analogy with that al Qaeda attack.

We've heard from the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, saying that we're now under the threat of international terrorism. So both of them alluding to the fact this could be al Qaeda.

Of course, nobody saying that it is at the moment. There are many other possibilities. But this appears to be the message coming from these top officials.

ANDERSON: Right. Let's remind ourselves that the police at present are looking for the driver of a car which was effectively packed with a lethal concoction compromising of gas cylinders, canisters of petrol, and of nails.

They'll be tracking him. There's an awful lot of CCTV cameras around here. So it may be an easier job than in the past. And we'll have a report on that coming up.

You've spoken to Peter Clarke, the anti-terror chief, recently. What did he say you to, Nic?

ROBERTSON: He believes, as do many other senior officials here on the -- on the -- senior officials in the counterterrorism work here in the -- in Britain -- he says -- he says that there is another attack coming. These other officials believe there is another attack coming.

This is evidence that he believes that the people of Britain aren't really as perhaps alert as they should be. And we've heard him say today, as well as the prime minister, stressing people must be alert, must provide information, must be vigilant.

ANDERSON: OK. We're going to leave it there, Nic, because at present we're being asked to move by the police.

They are widening the cordon around this area. Of course, the car that was packed with explosives was just behind me.

You can imagine, the police particularly nervy (ph) at the present, on alert in this area. We're going to leave. But we're going to leave you -- as we move -- we'll be back -- I want to leave you with this report on the idea of the monitoring of this area with CCTV footage that we just alluded to.

Paula Newton with this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The entire country, especially London, seems to be in a constant state of surveillance. There are more than four million cameras trained on almost every corner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twist it clockwise to zoom in.

NEWTON: That's one camer for every 15 people. On any given day here, you can be caught on camera more than 300 times.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Crossing Great Windmill Street (ph), continue on to Shaftesbury Avenue towards Piccadilly Circus. NEWTON: On a random walk through central London, they could track and trace my every move with a better view than most police officers walking the beat.

Most recently, suspected terrorists were caught after being captured on camera. The men blamed for launching suicide attacks in London last summer showed up on more than a few CCTVs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've seen a reduction of 33 percent in street crime in the area. And that's fantastic. People are crying out to have CCTV.

They feel secure. They feel they can wander the streets at night. That somebody is out there keeping an eye open for anything -- wrongdoing.

NEWTON: But critics warn the viewing of surveillance video should be left to the professionals, not your next door neighbors.

JEN CORLEW, NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES: This is a bit voyeuristic. It is bit like big brother in the community. So there is a lot of room for abuse. And I don't think that putting it in civilians hands rather than police hands is really effective.

NIGEL DAWES, SHOP OWNER: And one of our silk (INAUDIBLE) actually perched on the railings.

NEWTON: And Nigel Dawes has a story for every person who believes a camera will make them safer. He was robbed last spring and the whole thing was caught on a CCTV camera outside his shop. He called police and they said they just didn't have the time to look at the video.

DAWES: They can't put -- spend all this money putting these in and then saying, well, we haven't got the funds to review the footage.

NEWTON: Still, this surveillance service will be rolled out to as many as 70,000 homes by early next year. And as far as many residents are concerned, seeing is believing. They just feel safer knowing someone is watching.

Paula Newton, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I'm Stephen Frazier at CNN Center.

We, as you heard Becky Anderson report, are readjusting our coverage here slightly as she and all of our colleagues on the ground there very close to the scene of this discovered car are moving their location. It will take them a few minutes to do that as police widen their cordon out of concern that there is a continuing threat in that area here.

I also want to let you know that from London we're expecting a statement any moment now from New Scotland Yard. It will not be a televised statement. We believe it's just going to be a paper statement, but with some new information.

But we will continue our coverage of these events from here until our location can be re-established in London.

And the big development at this moment is that British police now say another stretch of road near Buckingham Palace is being closed because of another suspicious vehicle. Park Lane has been closed from Hyde Park Corner to Marble Arch.

These are storied locations famous to tourists from around the world. A connecting section of Oxford Street has been closed down as well.

Joining us now for more on this closure and what's happening now, which appears to be a robot sensing that vehicle, is Alphonso Van Marsh, who joins us on the phone.

Alphonso, what can you tell us of what's happening now?

ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I can tell you that this road closure has caused a lot of congestion, a lot of disruption down here. Of course, we're at the end of a workday, end of a work week. And there are street after street after street that have been shut down by police.

Police not letting cars in, not letting pedestrians down, as you mentioned, by Hyde Park and Marble Arch. I am on Park Street, which for more than a few hours today even the operative word, "park," nothing was moving. At least at this point cars are slowly making their way, being diverted.

There are more officers out here telling people that, yes, there is a suspicious vehicle in this neighborhood, trying to guide them home. At one point, hundreds of businessmen and businesswomen, construction workers, tourists and people living in this neighborhood desperate to get information to know what is going on. Now as word filters out, people, they understand and they're trying to comply -- Stephen.

FRAZIER: Let's give our viewers a sense, Alphonso, of what we're seeing as you talk to us here. In the extreme right lower corner there from this helicopter view is the Intercontinental Hotel. And you can see dead in the center of this shot what appears to be one of the bomb-sensing or deactivating robots operated by the Metropolitan Police, New Scotland Yard.

No people visible in this scene. A clear sign of the concern, Alphonso, that officials have that this is a very dangerous situation.

VAN MARSH: Yes. And certainly that feeling is translating down here on the street.

As I mentioned, a few hours ago, when we arrived here, police officers were putting that tape up here from the corner of Hyde Park and Park Lane Street, all the way down to Piccadilly, not allowing people to go back to their offices, not allowing construction workers to go back to the construction site. Of course, that causes a lot of tension, a lot of nervousness.

People wanting to know what's going on. There's been a lot of word of the earlier activities spreading to this neighborhood. People wondering if there could, in fact, be another dangerous situation right here in this neighborhood.

But now it seems that traffic is flowing. All those workers that were waiting on the street corners, or construction hats in their hands, are now heading home for the weekend. Traffic starting to lighten up a bit. But by no means, what's not lightening up is that sense of concern.

FRAZIER: Alphonso, give our international viewers a little sense of London geography here, if you would, please. The first car that was discovered, of course, overnight in a very busy nightlife district, where, you know, the loss of life could have been significant, as all the clubs and cinemas, restaurants let out there, had that exploded.

This now, if I understand -- if my memory of London streets serves me well, is where people like to spend the weekends, moving by some of the most famous tourist locations.

VAN MARSH: That's right. You're spot on, Stephen.

We are just a few miles from Haymarket. Incidentally, Hyde Park is a place where a lot of people come out for the weekend. It's one of the big green open spaces that make this city such a great place to live.

And you'll meet people from all over the city coming out to Hyde Park on the weekends, playing Frisbee, having a picnic, enjoying lunch. And obviously concerns are elsewhere at this point. I'm just about 200 meters away from Hyde Park, where all you see now is gridlock.

FRAZIER: All right. Well, in light of what's been happening to Becky Anderson, you may soon be moved. So we will let you go now. But thank you for those insights at this hour.

Alphonso Van Marsh.

We'll be talking with you perhaps a little bit later in the day.

And here we take a short break.

But still ahead on YOUR WORLD TODAY, more on the terror threat in London. We'll hear from a news photographer who happened to be right at the scene of the car bomb as police were arriving. His chilling story up next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I just think we have to ignore it and continue with our lives. I mean we're far more likely to be run over by a car than anything else.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It does affect me, because I've been working in London for a while now. But you've got two choices -- you let it beat you or you deal with it. And at the moment, you know, we're just going to deal with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FRAZIER: Familiar scenes there of London Bobbies in their traditional hats, and then some of the more untraditional garb of the bomb squad and other police investigators there looking into this scare which comes only hours, really, after Prime Minister Gordon Brown took office. It is putting his brand new cabinet to the test right off the bat.

Our European political editor, Robin Oakley, is outside 10 Downing Street.

It's a familiar spot for you, Robin, but perhaps not for all of the members of the very top of the cabinet here who are now only moving in.

Tell us what's happening behind that door.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, indeed, it's been a huge stretch immediately for Gordon Brown's new cabinet. He's been given a very stark reminder of the harsh realities of modern politics. He always knew it wasn't going to be easy moving from Number 11 Downing Street there, we he just had -- just had to focus on the British economy as chancellor of the Exchequer, to Number 10, where issues come at you from every side, especially now international and security issues.

And while the security incident today, the car bomb that was found by the Tiger Tiger nightclub may have caused gridlock in London's traffic, it has also snagged up the political process, because Gordon Brown was having a meeting today of his cabinet, unusually on a Friday, in order to launch new plan to win back the trust of the British people in the political process. He is planning constitutional changes he wants to announce on Monday. But instead of being able to focus on that, they've had to put the focus all together on this terrorist -- or assumed terrorist-related incident.

And Gordon Brown was soon out in the streets sim himself today to reassure the British public and to appeal to them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: The first duty of a government is the security of the people. And as the police and security services have said on so many occasions, we face a serious and continued security threat to our country.

We should allow the police to investigate this incident and then report to us. But this incident does recall the need for us to be vigilant at all times, and the public to be alert at any potential incidents. And I will stress to the cabinet that the vigilance must be maintained over these next few days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OAKLEY: Very tough, Gordon Brown, as he starts his period as prime minister. Tough, too, for Jacqui Smith, the new home secretary. It's the most prominent promotion for a woman in the new cabinet.

She's not got any previous experience in the home office, the department that deals with crime and with counterterrorism. But she had to go straight in today.

She was working in the early hours of the morning, told about the incident. Had to chair a meeting of the COBRA committee. That's the rather curiously named emergencies committee of the British government. It gets the name COBRA not from the snake, but from Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, not quite so romantic, perhaps.

But she met the security chiefs there and then briefed the whole of Gordon Brown's cabinet on the situation as it was known this morning -- Stephen.

FRAZIER: Well, happily for them in the highest reaches of the cabinet, Robin, of course, there is no interruption in the service of New Scotland Yard's anti-terrorism leaders. For example, Peter Clarke on the case. We've seen him so many times, such as in the bombings almost two years ago now of the London transit system, and others since then.

London has never really been out of the crosshairs of this sort of threat. And so they're quite experienced, and their experience will carry over through the new administration.

OAKLEY: Yes. And interesting some of the appointments that are continuing of Gordon Brown's team.

Sir Alan West has been appointed as the security minister at the home office in the names announced today. Now, he is a former first sea lord, a veteran of the Falklands campaign, and who's had some harsh things to say about whether enough money was being spent on Britain's forces and so on at some stages in the past.

He's been brought into the team. An example of how Gordon Brown wants to bring in people from outside the normal political process.

And Lord Stevens, a former chief of the Metropolitan Police, the police here in London, has been appointed as an international security adviser to Gordon Brown.

So two significant appointments there in the context of the ongoing battle against terrorism. But there is also going to be some new legislation coming up in the autumn. And that is likely to be discussed with some of the opposition politicians .

David Cameron, the leader of the opposition conservative party, has signaled his willingness to help the government in anything which will better protect the citizens. And the question there is whether we will see in the new security measures expected to be introduced in the autumn an extension in the period during which people can be held without charge -- terrorist suspects, that is.

Remember that Tony Blair tried to extend that period to 90 days. But the British House of Commons said, no, that was an interference with civil liberties, virtually internment, and said, no, they would only settle for 28 days.

Gordon Brown, it seems, wants to extend that period and may bring back legislation in the autumn to try and push that through. The question is whether today's security incident is going to make it easier for him to do so -- Stephen.

FRAZIER: It certainly will influence that conversation when it begins, when that item first comes up.

Well, thank you for this early read on the political response to events in London.

Robin Oakley, it's always good to see you. Thank you for making time for us here.

We want to remind our viewers that we are standing by for what we expect will be a statement with new details of the investigation from the Metropolitan Police and New Scotland Yard. We will bring that you to as soon as we receive it.

And, of course, we have many other elements to tell you about in this continuing investigation of events in London, where a potentially lethal, very dangerous car bomb has been found and diffused, and where the investigation continues at this hour.

So stay with us here on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: We're currently facing the most serious and sustained threat to our security from international terrorism. This latest incident reinforces the need for the public to remain vigilant and to alert -- and alert the threat that we face at all times. I would particularly encourage all members of the public to report to the police anything suspicious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back to our viewers joining us in more than 200 countries and territories including the U.S. around the world. I'm Becky Anderson with a special edition of YOUR WORLD TODAY. Coming to you today from London. Now target London suspicious smoke and an alert, ambulance crew may just have thwarted an enormous terrorist attack on London. That at about 1:30 in the morning.

Local police here are looking for the driver of a car that was packed with explosives. Meantime, a second alert just about a mile away between Buckingham Palace and Marble Arch on a road known as Park Lane. For many of you who have been to London you will know that. That in an underground car parked there.

And now just in the last few minutes, a third alert in London. A third -- a suspicious car in an area close to the financial district between what's known as Fetter's Lane and Ludgate Circus. So, let's find out what we know about this investigation to date at this point. Phil Black with a minute by minute account of a disaster that didn't happen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was an ambulance officer who just happened to be in the area that first noticed something suspicious about this car. There was smoke inside. That was around 1:30 a.m. London time. The police were called and what they found was shocking.

PETER CLARKE, DEPUTY ASST. COMMISSIONER, SCOTLAND YARD: In the car, they found significant quantities of petrol together with a number of gas cylinders. And I cannot at this stage tell you exactly how much petrol, because we have not yet had a chance to measure it precisely. But what I can tell you is that it was in several large containers. There were also a large number of nails in the vehicle.

BLACK: Bomb squad officers located the detonator and disabled it.

CLARKE: Even at this stage, it is obvious that if the device had detonated, there could have been significant injury or loss of life.

BLACK: This image taken by a freelance photographer shows what police were dealing with.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police were just -- I don't know evacuating the area basically, and putting up red and blue cordons (ph) everywhere. You wondered what the hell was going on. I asked one of the police officers what was happening. And he explained there is a suspicious package in a car down the road.

BLACK: The car was parked on a street known as the Haymarket. It's just near Piccadilly Circus, one of central London's busiest areas. It was left outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub. Police say there were many people on the street at that time heading home after a night out. Winston Beck was one of them. His car was parked just across the road from the Mercedes packed with gasoline and nails.

WINSTON BECK, WITNESS: It's a scary part, because look how close I am. If that device had to go off while I'm there, definitely I would be damaged.

BLACK: Police confirm London nightclubs have been discussed by terror groups as possible targets. They don't know yet if that was the intention in this case. There are also reports the suspect car was being driven erratically moments before it struck the pavement where it was abandoned. Police are studying CCTV pictures in the effort to identify the car's driver.

WILL GEDDES, SECURITY ANALYST: Haymarket, if that had been the intended destination for this device, takes all the boxes for a terrorist group. You have a convergence of people from around the world, not just domestic U.K. and Londoners.

BLACK: The incident triggered a meeting of the British Cabinet Security Committee known as Cobra.

GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The first duty of a government is security of the people. And as the police and security services have said on so many occasions, we face a serious and continued security threat to our country. We should allow the police to investigate this incident and then report to us. But this incident does recall the need for us to be vigilant at all times and the public to be alert at any potential incidents.

BLACK: It is a significant test for a new prime minister. Just a week out from the second anniversary of London's July 7 terror attacks that killed 52 people. In response to this London's police are increasing patrols and the visibility of their officers on the streets.

They insist this is to reassure the public. It is not a reaction to any suspected further threat. But after years of IRA terror and more recent Islamist attacks, the people of London have some experience in dealing with this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't have everything 100 percent secure. You can't protect everyone and everything all the time.

BLACK: And that's why police believe this won't be the last attempt at terrorizing this city.

Phil Black, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: My colleagues are at Scotland Yard at present. We're expecting a statement from the metropolitan police, and of course, we'll bring that to you as soon as we get it. Now Phil Black's package describing the events at about 1:30 a.m local time. The initial investigation into a car that was found to be packed with explosives in Piccadilly Circus in the center of London. Things have moved on since then. It is afternoon time now towards the rush hour, in fact, here in London. Nic Robertson our International Senior Correspondent joins us now. As I say, Nic, the initial investigation frightening enough -- that things have moved on.

NIC ROBERTSON: They have two more suspect vehicles or at least two more areas under suspicion at this time. The question at the moment is were these vehicles placed there through the day, or had they been there only to be discovered? If they were placed there throughout the day, then that would certainly imply a much more sinister situation.

Were they there all the way through the night? Again, very troubling for not only the public, but for security officials that such potential devices could be sitting there. Again, we don't know the details of what's been discovered in these areas that have been sealed off. But a great deal of concern for people here in London as they go home now for the weekend.

This is, perhaps, the worst time in London to have three different sections of a city -- in the city, and two areas in the very central part of the city to have those closed off. Huge disruptions for traffic.

ANDERSON: Let's just remind our viewers where we are and sort of locate ourselves. Piccadilly Circus, of course many people will know is right in the center of town. Park Lane, where the second suspicious vehicle was found, is an arterial road going north and south. And as you say, Fetter Lane and Ludgate Circus now, are on the east side of the city.

Some interesting facts that appears coming out of this initial car that was found to be suspicious full of smoke, and then found to have a whole lot of explosives in the boot. It appears, this is the story going around in London, that a policeman, a regular policeman, not an explosive expert, actually saw a mobile phone sitting inside that car, reached in and took that phone out.

I mean the police here in London are on, you know, alert all the time, aren't they? We're told that all the time. But, I guess the police are on even higher alert than we are as a general public.

ROBERTSON: That's certainly the concern of the police. They're far more aware of the potential for this type of attack than perhaps the public is. Very interesting that Peter Clarke, the head of the investigation here for the police, praised the constable involved in essentially stopping the bomb. Bet it would be very, very interesting to see what happens behind closed doors.

This is not normally the technique that bomb disposal experts apply in these types of situations. They would generally fire perhaps a water canyon to burst open locks on the vehicle to get inside without moving the vehicle, to not put themselves at risk, do it using a robotic type of vehicle at a great distance so they are safe. So this is an unusual action if it is correct by the police constable.

Certainly it appears in this case, may have saved many lives. Very troubling as well for security officials now to realize that a mobile phone was part of the trigger mechanism. If that was the case, a very worrying development.

We know that the police are searching for the driver who ran away from the scene, when it could have been remotely detonated. What other events were supposed to perhaps precipitate people coming out of the nightclub into the path of the bomb? Right now, though, that mobile phone, perhaps the best lead of all to quickly find out who's behind it because you have the phone, you have the chip. You know, perhaps, who purchased it and where.

ANDERSON: Interesting stuff, and as we suggested, it could have been used as a detonating device.

Nic, we leave you there for now. Thank you very much indeed for that.

We are expecting a press conference from the metropolitan police in about five minutes time. Of course, we will bring that to you.

Just to remind you, a car packed with explosives found just outside a nightclub where 1700 revellers were enjoying themselves at 1:30 a.m. in the morning. Target London.

We'll be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK MAYOR: I know on a lot of people's mind is the news out of London where a car was found to perhaps contain explosives. I don't have all the details, neither does anybody else. They're doing an investigation. New York City has a police officer on the scene. As you know, we have a police officer permanently assigned to work with London authorities. And we're gathering information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: You're watching a special edition of YOUR WORLD TODAY with me, Becky Anderson in London, on a day when the city of London is on high alert.

A significant investigation now into a car packed with explosives that were not detonated, but a very frightening idea outside a nightclub at 1:30 in the morning. Now, two other investigations going on as we speak. Tarique Ghaffur, the commander of central operations is speaking now. Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

TARIQUE GHAFFUR, ASST. COMM., SCOTLAND COURT: ...and when -- it is often the case when we have incidents like this that people do report other incidents or suspicious packages or suspicious vehicles. And what we have in London is very clear tried and tested systems, procedures in place on how to deal with it.

What we often do is -- our overriding objective is to protect the scenes, put in place cordons (ph) to make sure those particular areas are properly searched, to make sure that the disruption to London as in particular, in relation to the traffic, is minimized. So we put those plans in place and we work often with our partners.

What I want to do is to reassure Londoners that we're doing everything possible to actually make them safe. We put huge amount of reassurance patrols on our barrows (ph). There are significant number of events that are taking place over the weekend in London. We're reviewing the plans for those events to make sure that safety and security is number one priority in relation to that.

I would ask Londoners to be alert, to be vigilant. And if they do see, please report anything suspicious to the police itself. But, of course, what also happens is -- in incidents such as these, there is a disruption. Disruption and we will try everything best to do to actually minimize that disruption, and we are grateful that the public actually is being vigilant, is reporting things to us and does understand the situation.

But, of course, everything that we are doing, we are working under well-tried and tested plans, a lot of them which we actually put in place after 7/7.

Thank you very much.

ANDERSON: Well, you were listening there to Tarique Ghaffur, who is the commander of Central Operations there at Scotland Yard. Just talking about what is going on here in London.

Let me just quote back to you what he said. He said that, "There is a clear, tried and tested system that is in place." Obviously, post the bombs in the July of 2005. It's almost two years since those bombs went off. He said, "The overriding objective is to secure the areas that are being investigated." He said it's also important they insure there is as little disruption to Londoners and the traffic flow as possible.

You can imagine it is now rush hour here on a Friday evening. He also said that he wants to reassure Londoners that we are doing everything to ensure that they are safe.

And he also eluded to plans over the weekend, of course, obviously Diana Memorial Concert at Wembley Stadium this weekend, and various other events taking place in London (ph). This is, of course, the first weekend of July. It'll be packed. There will be an awful lot of activity going on, not just at Wembley Stadium, but elsewhere.

He said he asks Londoners to be alert and vigilant and please to report any suspicious activity.

You're watching YOUR WORLD TODAY with me, Becky Anderson here in London.

As we learn, just in the last few minutes of a third investigation now into a suspicious car in the east of the city. We had the potential of an enormous bomb going off in a car at 1:30 in the morning. Police still looking for the driver of a car that was packed with explosives -- haven't found him yet.

Then, a few hours ago, we were told that there was a second car that was being investigated on Park Lane. And that also being investigated as we speak. So this, a difficult day for people in London and extremely scary day for people in London.

But as ever, people in London tend to be fairly stoic in this situation, and move on with daily activity. I've just walked up from Piccadilly Circus. We're now a little bit further up the road, we were moved on as the police widened their cordon. People are going about their daily business.

Now, CNN caught up with a man who had his car parked next to the suspicious vehicle in the middle of the night. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'm here because my car is trapped right over there. Right opposite where the bomb -- the device was found. We came out for the evening to see, you know, last night. And when we returned to get into our car, the officers said, no, this is cordoned, it was (ph).

They didn't tell us really at that stage what was going on. So, my brother called me from Ireland. He said he saw on the news about what is really going on, and that was a scary moment for me, you know. When I learned that there was such a device right opposite where I'm parked, you know?

QUESTION: So it is literally just across ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, (INAUDIBLE) over there. Right opposite.

QUESTION: Did you see anything last night that led you to believe that something was going on?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, when -- by the time we came to the car, the police officers semi-cordoned off, and they put a blue tent over. I didn't see exactly what -- at that time, we -- we were so innocent. We didn't know what was -- it just shows how vigilant you've got to be, you know? That any time anything can happen at any time, you know? And, I mean, that's the scary part. Because look how close I am. If that device had to go off while I'm there, definitely I would be damaged.

QUESTION: What time did you try to get back to your car?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About 1:30. And it just like 1:00 the guy was there. QUESTION: Yes. Yes, so as you look at that scene up there now from the bottom of this street, what are your thoughts? What are your feelings?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thank the Lord that I'm still around today, you know, Because anything could have happened. Who knows, you know? And like they say, the guy was driving reckless. If I drive a car with bombs in it, I would really drive safe. I wouldn't drive reckless like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: The thoughts and memories of one man who had his car parked very close to that car packed with explosives at 1:30 a.m. local time. Outside a nightclub where there was some 1,700 revelers enjoying themselves. The bomb didn't go off. As I say, the police still looking for the driver of the car.

Meantime, there are now two other investigations going on into suspicious vehicles in and around London.

We will take a very short break. We'll be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FRAZIER: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Stephen Frazier at CNN Center. We ARE going to bring you some of the other news that's making news this day. But first, an update from London, where things seem to be changing so quickly. Metropolitan police tell us in a breaking news element that they are now lifting their cordon of the third suspicious location that they had announced just a few minutes ago. This one near Fleet Street, the concentration of newspapers in London. They had closed from Fedder Lane to Lovegate Circus because of a suspicious vehicle which they now are calling a false alarm. And they are opening the streets up again to traffic at rush hour in London on the start of a busy weekend.

They do, though, tell us that they're investigations at two other locations continue. One is a suspicious vehicle farther from me there, you can see, which they are investigating with robot devices, trying to find out what may be in the car. This is near Park Lane in a very busy section of the city familiar to tourist who's visit Buckingham Palace and other tourist sites.

And the initial car there, the one closer to me here, which has now been removed, which was packed with chemicals and nails, and which was discovered during the nighttime hours in a very busy night life area of the Haymarket. That car has been removed now and is being investigated now.

(NEWSBREAK)

FRAZIER: That is it for this hour, but YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a short break. I'm Stephen Frazier at CNN Center. More in just a moment.

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