Now we must hold our nerve

LONDON'S worst nightmare threatened to return today.

Two weeks to the day after 7 July, bombs at Shepherd's Bush, Warren Street and the Oval Tube stations, plus a bomb on the No 26 bus in Hackney, forced Londoners to relive the horror of that day. Explosions were reported at Warren Street and on the bus, but both seem to have failed in their purpose of causing fatalities.

Though this was an abortive attack, that does not make it any less serious.

The evacuation of the Underground system was carried out efficiently, but once again the London transport system was brought to a halt by acts of terrorism.

For all those who were caught up in the attacks a fortnight ago, today's terrifying repetition will bring unspeakable memories back. The rest of us will be thankful for the fact that this time only one casualty was reported, at least initially. It appears that increased security on the Underground has paid off.

Yet this new attempt to disrupt the capital, and to wreak indiscriminate carnage without warning, is a reminder that Britain faces an evil that will not easily be defeated.

Armed police were reported to have entered University College Hospital, presumably seeking one of the terrorists.

He and the others who carried out and masterminded this second onslaught must be hunted down and brought to justice. If and when they are apprehended, their interrogation may lead the authorities to other members of the al Qaeda cell.

We can only hope that information which will be pieced togther today will help authorities in their battle against the terror threat in our midst.

Though today's incidents were not comparable to those of 7 July, they are intended to break London's determination to defy the Islamist terror.

After the bombs of 7 July, one woman spoke for all the bereaved, in words of unbearable eloquence that millions watched on television. "How many tears shall we cry? How many mothers' hearts must be maimed?" asked Mrs Marie Fatayi-Williams, a Nigerian businesswoman whose son Anthony died on the No 30 bus. "Which cause has been served? Certainly not the cause of Allah, because God almighty only gives life and is full of mercy."

These are questions to which we would all like answers. So there is none.

There is no simple way to explain why the evil of Islamist terrorism has now struck London twice in a fortnight. The price we all pay for the privilege of living and working in this unique metropolis of ours is that so many of the great currents of history, for better and for worse, have flowed through London.

THE ancient capital of one of the oldest nation states, it has grown into a microcosm of humanity.

For the persecuted, London has been a refuge; for the ambitious, its streets have indeed been paved with gold.

London cannot isolate itself from the existential conflict between the free world and the global jihad which aims to destroy it. In this struggle for survival, London represents the best of the West, and for that reason alone it is a target for terrorism.

This fact of life is not easy to live with. We would all like the threat to be lifted. A large section of public opinion believes that the war in Iraq and the presence of British troops there have made London more vulnerable to the terror of Islamic extremism. Whatever Tony Blair says, the debate will go on, and some will continue to suggest that a wholly different foreign policy would banish the nightmare of 7/7 for ever.

Yet in our heart of hearts, we know that such invulnerability is impossible.

It has been little remarked upon, but over the past fortnight the interior ministers and security chiefs of our European neighbours have studied every aspect of the London attacks, in some cases at first hand, with the utmost urgency.

Regardless of their policies towards Iraq, the Bush administration, or the war on terror, they know that the same thing could happen to Paris, Berlin or any other major western city at any time. We are all in the same boat.

For there is no doubt where the primary responsibility lies. Al Qaeda, using its web of sympathisers throughout the Muslim world, created the methods, trained the suicide bombers and, directly or indirectly, gave them their orders.

There can be no appeasement of these fanatics: they must be found and defeated. Culpabilfarity also extends to those who preach terrorism or finance its infrastructure, those who turn a blind eye, and those who justify or make excuses for such attacks.

TO PRESERVE London's openness to the world, while making it more secure, presents a tough challenge.

The Government is proposing new legislation to stop British mosques being used to propagate the ideology of Islamist terror. Most Muslims recognize that inaction is not an option, but community leaders cannot change attitudes overnight. British Muslims need encouragement to drive out the cult of terrorism that has arisen in their midst.

Yesterday's abortive attack suggests that there is no time to lose.

All of us, Muslims and Christians, people of all faiths and none, now have in common the experience of a terrorist attack. London has rediscovered fear.

It is a fear that is familiar to older Londoners: the Blitz, and of course IRA terrorism, are still within living memory. Attacks like this leave people feeling frightened and vulnerable.

But London has also rediscovered solidarity. After 7 July, people looked out for one another, felt less atomised, less inclined to pass on the other side. We may feel lonely, but we know that we are not alone. It is now for London to show that this renewal of fellowship is not a passing phenomenon.

This second attack will have given Londoners a fright. But the day after the far worse attack on 7 July, people were already back on the streets, in the cafes, working and enjoying themselves. Visitors took courage from the fact that the people of London were not afraid to use public transport, to carry on with everyday life and, through the grief, to keep a sense of optimism and good cheer in their dealings with one another.

Unlike New York and other cities attacked by terrorists, London has not so far been boycotted by tourists. This second attempted onslaught indicates that we may be only at the outset of a sustained terrorist campaign.

Londoners must once again carry on working and playing. After 7 July, London won the admiration of the world for its courage in adversity. It is now for our great city to show the world that we are in this for the long haul and that we will never be defeated.

(c)2005. Associated Newspapers Ltd.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.