My guess on the London bombings.

[Dangerman]

I don't know, guys, but is the IRA involved in this?

Blaming this on Al Qaeda first on foremost is a sign of paranoia right now.

[ollie79]

1. I doubt IRA

IRA tends not to be involved in mass slaughter anymore. This is the work of a sicker org, ugh maybe like the bushies.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Could be IRA

but IRA has not done this on years, I think it is AQ... and it is all releated to G8, a message if you will

[ollie79]

11. not IRA

just not possible. It is likely some sort of Islamic extremist group.

[enid602]

17. *

If they were trying to send the bushwad a message, they chose an odd time to do it. Given that bushwad's popularity (according to polls)has plummeted , whoever planned these murderous bombings did so at the most propitious time for bushwad. He'll be back in his game in no time, and there's a possibility that nagging problems such as Plame/Rove, Abu Ghraib, DSM, etc. will be forgotten quickly given the inevitable barrage of media coverage on terrorist attacks.

[napi21]

3. I suppose it's possible, but some "secret Al Qaeda Cell" claimed

responsibility for it already.

I would think the Brits would best be able to answer your question, and none of them have even mentioned the IRA.

[Moochy]

19. backing off website claim

BBC is reporting that the claim of responsibility by the secret Al Qaeda Cell is being discredited by intelligence officials.

They are still saying an extremist islamic group.

[tjdee]

4. A supposed al Qaeda group claimed responsibility.

And didn't the IRA say a while back that....I don't know, something that equates to 'we're not doing stuff like that anymore'?

[Maddy McCall]

5. No. There hasn't been any IRA violence to speak of in a decade or more.

[wysi]

12. Not exactly true...

Omagh bombing in 1998 was the work of a group associated with the IRA. But this clearly was not their work.

[theboss]

20. True...but since the bank robbery all bets are off

There's been a feeling that something was brewing in the IRA since then.

Though this is not traditionally their approach.

But...if it's an off-shoot, who knows?

I personally doubt it's IRA, but it is amazing how quickly we assume.

[wideopen]

6. Thank you!

There's a lot of speculation around here today, none of which seems to be based on fact. I'm going to wait a while before forming any opinion on this.

[Dogmudgeon]

7. We Just Don't Know

The gossips who pass for TV Journalists can not tolerate not knowing, so they speculate. They make stories up.

It could very well be al-Qaeda. Or the IRA; but it's a little big for the IRA. That was what undid Aznar -- he immediately blamed ETA, but the ETA mainly used small bombs and firearms in their terrorist actions. The fact that Aznar overlooked militant "Islamist" terrorism so quickly led the Spanish people to conclude that he wasn't just corrupt, he was also incompetent.

As for the perps of the London atrocities, we'll just have to wait until the investigators develop more leads.

--p!

[justinsb]

8. I don't think it's Al Queda or the IRA

I think it's local, could be Muslim but the signs are that it wasn't professional enough to be either one.

[VOX]

9. After the events 9/11, I believe that the IRA swore off this type of stuff

I'd google around, but I'm pressed for time at the moment.

[mr blur]

10. Once the IRA would have been our first reaction, but no longer.

The political situation with the IRA has changed, and they always issued warnings.

[LSparkle]

13. Not a directly-related AQ cell but sort of a wannabe

Probably not allied directly with bin Laden but espousing his cause.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

14. The IRA gives warnings, and then quickly claims credit

it was definitely Al Qaeda.

[wysi]

MIHOP

... but I understand we're not allowed to say that today? ;-)

[BrklynLiberal]

16. Exactly my thought. ANYTHING to distract from Rovegate.

:tinfoilhat:

As Sam Seder just said on AAR. We have to keep this all in perspective and wait to see exactly what the evidence shows.

I wonder if the Blair govt will topple if it turns out not to have been AQ, as the Spanish govt fell when it turned out that the govt there was misleadng the people.

[AllegroRondo]

15. What Ive heard on IRA

1 - the IRA has not done any bombing in close to 10 years
2 - they usually give an advance warning before a bombing
3 - although they have hit the financial district before, they tend to do so late at night or on Saturday to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties
4 - they quickly claim credit for an attack

[SoundnCamera]

18. Special op

This has the hallmark of a special op, probably by personnel within the UK military or intelligence agencies (MI6), either acting in partnership, or in liaison with the Pentagon. It is highly unlikely to be the Provisional IRA, or any of its offshoots: the M.O. is incompatible and out of character. It does have the signature and characteristics of recent attacks attributed, but without proof or verification, to "al Qaeda" or a related "Islamist" type of group. Lets see the videotapes from the legions of videocameras set up throughout Central London....or is Scotland Yard running around like blue-assed flies confiscating the videotapes, just as the FBI did immediately following the 'attack' on the Pentagon during 9-11, 2001?

For a crack military team with the appropriate training, this type of an operation like this would be childs' play. When looking at any "terrorist attack" (quote marks intentional), *motivation* has to be the key issue: Who benefits, and who gets castigated, all during such a time of emotional edginess, when much the population is baying for revenge? Notice the "convenience" of the timing. The "convenience" of always relying on the media to broadcast unverified, baseless reports of "responsibility admitted" on "al Qaeda's" website, even though, naturally, no URL is ever forthcoming.

This operation looks as if it was carefully planned by elements within the UK, with US oversight. A "war on terrorism" requires that attacks occur on a regular basis, or the public will lose the faith.