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London hit again by terror blasts
Thursday's attacks looked like an attempted carbon-copy and may be masterminded either by the same group or by less sophisticated sympathisers -- young, disaffected Muslims perhaps -- intent on mounting a copycat strike, security analysts said. "There is a resonance here," police chief Blair said, but cautioned it would take time to tell who was to blame. Police swiftly called for sweeping new powers such as holding terrorism suspects for up to three months without charge. The attacks have forced Tony Blair to defend himself against accusations that Britain's participation in the U.S. invasion of Iraq had made it a target for Islamic militants. A poll published this week indicated two thirds of Britons think the July 7 bombings were linked to Iraq. Blair denied he had put London at risk, saying: "The people who are responsible for terrorist attacks are the terrorists." British shares and the pound fell on Thursday, but recovered once it emerged the attacks were on a smaller scale. U.S. stocks also fell slightly. Some underground lines were shut, but disruption was smaller than the complete standstill of two weeks ago. IMITATORS AT WORK? Police chief Ian Blair said unexploded charges might still be left at some of
the cordoned off sites, which could aid investigations.
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