Counter-terrorism police are hunting the suspected bombers who detonated the ‘Mother of Satan’ nail bomb on a London tube train yesterday.
Police have confirmed they are ‘chasing down suspects’ after Islamic State claimed a ‘detachment’ was responsible for the attack.
It comes after the Prime Minister raised the UK’s terror threat level to ‘critical’ following the cowardly attack.
It means that a government task force believes another attack may be imminent.
Armed police stand guard outside Westminster this morning after the Prime Minister raised the UK’s terror threat level to ‘critical’ following the attack at Parsons Green tube station
Security Minister Ben Wallace told the BBC on this morning: ‘We haven’t been able at the moment to catch the bomber.
‘The bomber is still out there – or bombers – and we have to get to the bottom of that and follow up the leads.’
It was reported that the bomber was captured on CCTV making a telephone, but police.
Last night, police denied to Sky News reports that a suspect had been identified by CCTV following the blast.
The crudely-made bucket bomb — which failed to fully detonated — left 29 people injured, including a young boy.
Analysts said the injuries would have been far worse had the entire device exploded, which, reportedly contained TATD.
Witnesses described seeing a a fireball tear through the packed train during the Friday morning rush hour at around 8.20am.
Police officers pictured this morning at Parsons Green Underground Station, where ISIS have claimed a ‘detachment’ carried out the failed bombing yesterday
A soldier outside Westminster this morning: Theresa May said soldiers will be sent to nuclear power stations and other key sites and facilities, allowing 1,000 armed police officers to patrol the streets
The Met Police’s Assistance Commissioner Market Rowley said is ‘very routine’ for Islamic State to claim responsibility, ‘weather or not they’ve had any previous engagement with the individuals involved’.
Mr Rowley asked that the public remain ‘vigilant’ but ‘not be alarmed’.
He said counter-terrorism officers have already received
The BBC’s home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw highlighted the police’s use of the word ‘suspects’ in their statements, which indicates more than one attacker.
‘The working assumption at Scotland Yard and MI5 must be that there is not just one person behind this, but at least one, and that there are others that assisted or encouraged the person to plant this device,’ Mr Shaw told BBC Radio4’s Today programme.
The Prime Minster said soldiers will be sent to nuclear power stations and other key sites and facilities, allowing 1,000 armed police officers to patrol the streets.
Theresa May said: ‘The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre has now decided to raise the national threat level from severe to critical — this means their assessment is that a further attack may be imminent.
‘The public will see more armed police on our transport network and streets to provide extra protection.’
The Prime Minister this morning confirmed an emergency meeting of the Government’s Cobra crisis committee will take place at 1pm
‘Crude’ bucket bomb made with fairy lights could have killed DOZENS say experts as police reveal 21/7-style device failed to properly detonate
Explosives experts say the Parsons Green bomb could have killed dozens if it had properly detonated at rush-hour on Friday morning.
Anti-terror police are now examining the bucket bomb which failed to fully go off on a tube train in west London as they try to track down the bomber.
Photos of the explosive show a large builder’s tub – believed be packed with explosives – inside a Lidl coolbag, with a string of Christmas tree lights, thought to have been a crude detonator, hanging over the top.
Officers compared the device to those used in the failed 21/7 bombings, in which jihadis attempted to blow up tube trains. In that case, the bombs’ detonators went off but the explosives themselves were not ignited.
Photos of the bomb at Parsons Green show a builder’s bucket inside a Lidl coolbag with apparent fairy lights hanging out of it. It is thought the bomb failed to fully detonate
It is believed the bomb was left on the busy district line train from Wimbledon on Friday morning before the bomber escaped. Police are analysing the device to track down the terrorist
ISIS have encouraged followers to use the lights in bomb guides they post online, but the terror group have yet to claim responsibility for the attack.
A timer is understood to have been found on the device, suggesting the terrorist left it on board the train and then got off. It also suggests it was intended to go off at busier stations further down the line.
Terror expert Will Geddes said: ‘My suspicion is that Parsons Green was not the intended target.
‘Unless a person knows it, it is not going to mean a great deal to you – if it was Paddington or Notting Hill, they are internationally recognised names.’
‘I think it was more a premature detonation than anything else. This could have been a lot worse. It could have killed a significant number of people.’
Others say the bomb probably didn’t detonated properly because it was badly made.
Explosives expert Dr Sidney Alford told MailOnline: ‘The fact that an initial bang was heard but the bomb did not even shatter the plastic bucket it was contained in suggests to me this could have been hydrogen peroxide.
‘I can rule out other types of explosives as if the initial bang was heard with those they would have gone off completely and destroyed the bucket.’
Flames engulfed one carriage and raced along a train on a west London route to Parsons Green, forcing passengers to trample others as they rushed for an exit
Dr Alford said the bomb properly did not go off because it was poorly designed.
Witnesses reported a ‘strong, acrid chemical smell’ in the carriage after the explosion.
Major General Chip Chapman told Sky News: ‘This doesn’t look like a high-end explosive from ISIS such as TATP (triacetone triperoxide) or, if it was, it failed significantly, the booster or detonator didn’t go off.’
‘That said of course, the most devastating land-based terror attack in Europe, in Madrid, had a similar modus operandi.’
He added: ‘It’s not a high explosive that functioned because the blast and shockwave would have killed multiple people.’
Former Army bomb squad expert Chris Hunter told the channel the pictures reminded him of the devices which failed to go off during botched the 21/7 attacks.
In that instance, a group of Islamic terrorists planned to carry out a copy-cat attack to 7/7, but although the detonator part of the bombs went off, they did not ignite the explosives and only one person was injured.
Examining the image of the bomb, chemical weapons expert Hamish de Bretton-Gordon told MailOnline: ‘It looks pretty unsophisticated.
‘It could be an incendiary device with some sort of detonator in a big white plastic bucket, perhaps with some sort of chemical like ammonia nitrate, fertiliser bomb to cause an explosion.’
He said the attack looked like ‘classic jihadi terrorism’ and the bomb could have been ‘devastating’ if it had detonated properly.
Mr de Bretton-Gordon said the attack would raise further questions over whether the sale of certain chemicals should be more heavily regulated.’
Describing the device, witness Sylvain Pennec said: ‘It looked like a bucket of mayonnaise. I’m not sure if it was a chemical reaction or something else, but it looked home made.’
The incident has been compared to the 21/7 attacks in which bombs were placed on the underground and the detonators went off, but did not ignite the explosives
In that instance, the bombers Muktar Said Ibrahim (left) and Ramzi Mohammed were tracked down by police and convicted of terror offences
It is not be the first time extremists have used so-called them to build a device.
In May this year, a radicalised former doorman Zahid Hussain was found to have built an explosive device in his bedroom with fairy lights, shrapnel and a pressure cooker.
He is said to have researched bomb-making techniques online, with police finding a wealth of notes and instructions at his home in Birmingham when he was arrested in 2015.
Similarities between the device and that used in the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 have also been drawn.
In that case, timers were also used to allow the bombers to get away. However, in that case the explosives were in a pressure cooker.
Last night, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley ‘hundreds’ of officers are currently ‘trawling through CCTV’ in a desperate bid to close in on the ‘suspects’ involved in the Parsons Green bomb.
Rowley said Met Police had embarked on a complex investigation and while the device had now been safely defused, his officers were also starting to examine some of the pictures sent in from witnesses at the scene.
The Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner told reporters last night: ‘We are making excellent progress at the moment as we pursue our lines of inquiry to identify, locate and arrest those responsible.
‘We have hundreds of police officers trawling through CCTV footage, detectives have spoken to tens of witnesses and we have taken a large number of calls from to the hotline… for members of the public.
Rowley said Met Police had embarked on a complex investigation and ‘hundreds’ of officers were ‘trawling through CCTV footage’
‘Indeed members of the public have sent in so far 77 images and videos of the scene… which are now being assessed for evidential value.’
It comes after Theresa May raised Britain’s terror threat level from critical to severe, meaning another attack on the public could be imminent.
More armed police will be deployed to the streets while soldiers will take over a number of security functions such as manning power stations.
Meanwhile he confirmed the improvised explosive of the device has now been made safe and has now been taken away for special forensic examination.
Explosives experts say the Parsons Green bomb could have killed dozens if it had properly detonated at rush-hour this morning.
Anti-terror police are now examining the bucket bomb which failed to fully go off on a tube train in west London as they try to track down the bomber.
Photos of the explosive show a large builder’s tub – believed be packed with explosives – inside a Lidl coolbag, with a string of Christmas tree lights, thought to have been a crude detonator, hanging over the top.
Officers compared the device to those used in the failed 21/7 bombings, in which jihadis attempted to blow up tube trains. In that case, the bombs’ detonators went off but the explosives themselves were not ignited.
Pictures on social media show a bucket alight on the underground train after the explosion. It is understood to have had a timer, meaning it could have been intended for a busier station
It is believed the bomb was left on the busy district line train from Wimbledon this morning before the bomber escaped. Police are analysing the device to track down the terrorist
ISIS have encouraged followers to use the lights in bomb guides they post online.
An ex-Army bomb disposal officer said he believed the bomb could have been the Mother of Satan explosive used in the failed 21/7 terror plot.
Chris Hunter said the bombmaker ‘almost certainly’ used triacetone triperoxiede (TATP), a sensitive and highly explosive material used by jihadists.
Mr Hunter told Sky News: ‘When I saw the bucket and when I saw it burning, it looked exactly like the 21/7 device.’
The Mother of Satan has been used in several terrorist attacks, including 7/7 and the Manchester Arena bombing.
He added: ‘There are very few chemical compounds readily available to jihadists that can be used to make a high explosive so the main charge will also certainly be TATP.
‘This substance is also known as the Mother of Satan. It is super sensitive just after being made and can go off very easily. However, it doesn’t remain sensitive for very long, it deteriorates quickly.’
In that instance, a group of Islamic terrorists planned to carry out a copy-cat attack to 7/7, but although the detonator part of the bombs went off, they did not ignite the explosives and only one person was injured.
A timer was also found on the Parsons Green device, suggesting the terrorist left it on board the train and then got off. It also suggests it was intended to go off at busier stations further down the line.
There were also reports that the bucket had been filled with nails and was to be set off by a booster charge of hexamethylene triperoxide diamine.
Terror expert Will Geddes said: ‘My suspicion is that Parsons Green was not the intended target.
‘Unless a person knows it, it is not going to mean a great deal to you – if it was Paddington or Notting Hill, they are internationally recognised names.’
‘I think it was more a premature detonation than anything else. This could have been a lot worse. It could have killed a significant number of people.’
Others say the bomb probably didn’t detonated properly because it was badly made.
Explosives expert Dr Sidney Alford told MailOnline: ‘The fact that an initial bang was heard but the bomb did not even shatter the plastic bucket it was contained in suggests to me this could have been hydrogen peroxide.
‘I can rule out other types of explosives as if the initial bang was heard with those they would have gone off completely and destroyed the bucket.’
Dr Alford said the bomb properly did not go off because it was poorly designed.
Witnesses reported a ‘strong, acrid chemical smell’ in the carriage after the explosion.
Pictures from the District Line train appear to show a burning plastic bucket stashed in a Lidl carrier bag, which exploded
Specialist forensic officer, including some with expertise in dealing with bombings and chemical incidents, are combing the train for clues
A victim, believed to be a schoolchild, is carried from the station with charred legs as others were treated for burns in the street and neighbouring shops
A traumatised and injured passenger on the ill-fated Parsons Green train is taken away by paramedics and firefighters
Major General Chip Chapman told Sky News: ‘This doesn’t look like a high-end explosive from ISIS such as TATP (triacetone triperoxide) or, if it was, it failed significantly, the booster or detonator didn’t go off.
‘That said of course, the most devastating land-based terror attack in Europe, in Madrid, had a similar modus operandi.’
He added: ‘It’s not a high explosive that functioned because the blast and shockwave would have killed multiple people.’
Flames engulfed one carriage and raced along a train on a west London route to Parsons Green, forcing passengers to trample others as they rushed for an exit
Transport for London said Tube services were suspended between Edgware Road and Wimbledon
Examining the image of the bomb, chemical weapons expert Hamish de Bretton-Gordon told MailOnline: ‘It looks pretty unsophisticated.
‘It could be an incendiary device with some sort of detonator in a big white plastic bucket, perhaps with some sort of chemical like ammonia nitrate, fertiliser bomb to cause an explosion.’
He said the attack looked like ‘classic jihadi terrorism’ and the bomb could have been ‘devastating’ if it had detonated properly.
Mr de Bretton-Gordon said the attack would raise further questions over whether the sale of certain chemicals should be more heavily regulated.’
Describing the device, witness Sylvain Pennec said: ‘It looked like a bucket of mayonnaise. I’m not sure if it was a chemical reaction or something else, but it looked homemade.’
The incident has been compared to the 21/7 attacks in which bombs were placed on the underground and the detonators went off, but did not ignite the explosives
In that instance, the bombers Muktar Said Ibrahim (left) and Ramzi Mohammed were tracked down by police and convicted of terror offences
This was one of the failed bombs in the 21/7 attacks, with explosive substances left on the floor of a London bus when the device failed to properly detonate
It is not be the first time extremists have used so-called them to build a device.
In May this year, a radicalised former doorman Zahid Hussain was found to have built an explosive device in his bedroom with fairy lights, shrapnel and a pressure cooker.
He is said to have researched bomb-making techniques online, with police finding a wealth of notes and instructions at his home in Birmingham when he was arrested in 2015.
Similarities between the device and that used in the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 have also been drawn.
In that case, timers were also used to allow the bombers to get away. However, in that case the explosives in a pressure cooker.
The fairy lights bomber: Jihadi used similar device in plot two years ago
In 2015, Zahid Hussain, pictured right, used adapted Christmas tree lights, shrapnel and a pressure cooker to improvise a bomb.
When officers raided his home in the Alum Rock area of the city, they found his room littered with text books detailing guerrilla warfare techniques and small arms combat, further bomb making instructions and dismantled electrical items such as doorbells and alarm clocks.
He bought most of the items he used for his bombs over the internet.
Chief Superintendent Matt Ward, of West Midlands Police, said of Hussain’s bomb at the time: ‘Forensic examination of the pressure cooker found it contained mixed urea, nails, drills bits, nuts, bolts, steel sockets and diesel fuel.
‘The Christmas tree lights also found at his address had been adapted so each one could be used as an explosive initiator or detonator.
‘Examination of his computer discovered browsing history relating to terrorism including bomb making and bomb blast injuries, showing he had a consistent and continued interest in terrorism and conflict.’
The Christmas tree lights found at Hussain’s address, in the Alum Rock area of Birmingham, had been adapted so each one could be used as an explosive initiator or detonator
- Anyone who has information that would assist detectives is urged to contact the hotline 0800 789 321, if you have any images from the scene then please upload them to www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk