The Northern Secretary Peter Mandelson has said that it appeared that dissident Republicans were behind today's foiled bomb attack on a rail line in London. Today's alert began after the bomb was spotted on a rail line near Ealing Broadway station following calls made in the Dublin area to a number of organisations. Severe disruptions to London's rail network are continuing after bomb disposal experts blew up the device. A suspect package near the scene of a birthday pageant for the Queen Mother was also blown up.
Mr Mandelson told the House of Commons that those responsible for today's device used the same code word as that used in an attack on the cross border railway line at Newry, County Armagh, recently. He said the RUC blamed that attack on the Real IRA. The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, said that the incident was a clear warning that the evil ways of terrorist splinter groups still posed a threat to the peace process. The North's First Minister, David Trimble, called on the Irish and British governments to crack down on attacks by dissident Republicans. He said there was a danger that the governments, both in the Northern Ireland Office and Dublin, have been a little bit too complacent.
