6.9.04
republicanarmy
Irish History: 5 September 1975 - London Hilton bombed
—from BBC
Two people were killed and 63 injured when a suspected IRA bomb exploded
in the lobby of the Hilton hotel in central London. A warning stating a
device would detonate at the Park Lane hotel within 10 minutes was
received by the Daily Mail newspaper at 1155 BST.
The newspaper notified Scotland Yard which immediately sent three
officers to investigate, but they were not able to evacuate the building
before the bomb exploded at 1218 BST.
Police worked quickly to clear the area after the explosion fearing
there could be another device nearby.
The blast caused extensive damage to the hotel and neighbouring shops
with broken glass spread over a wide area.
Witnesses said police arrived only five minutes before the bomb went
off, and it is not clear whether the hotel was warned before they turned
up.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said an officer telephoned the
Hilton shortly after receiving the warning, but the hotel denied this.
"A policeman was just telling the assistant manager that he had better
evacuate when the bomb went off," said press officer Anne Crewdson.
Metropolitan Police commander
London is on a high state of alert and several areas of the capital are
sealed off as a series of hoax warnings followed the Hilton blast.
A commander in the Metropolitan Police said they were forced to act
every time they were telephoned.
"No call can be taken casually," he said.
Irish History: 5 September 1975 - London Hilton bombed
—from BBC
Two people were killed and 63 injured when a suspected IRA bomb exploded
in the lobby of the Hilton hotel in central London. A warning stating a
device would detonate at the Park Lane hotel within 10 minutes was
received by the Daily Mail newspaper at 1155 BST.
The newspaper notified Scotland Yard which immediately sent three
officers to investigate, but they were not able to evacuate the building
before the bomb exploded at 1218 BST.
Police worked quickly to clear the area after the explosion fearing
there could be another device nearby.
The blast caused extensive damage to the hotel and neighbouring shops
with broken glass spread over a wide area.
Witnesses said police arrived only five minutes before the bomb went
off, and it is not clear whether the hotel was warned before they turned
up.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said an officer telephoned the
Hilton shortly after receiving the warning, but the hotel denied this.
"A policeman was just telling the assistant manager that he had better
evacuate when the bomb went off," said press officer Anne Crewdson.
Metropolitan Police commander
London is on a high state of alert and several areas of the capital are
sealed off as a series of hoax warnings followed the Hilton blast.
A commander in the Metropolitan Police said they were forced to act
every time they were telephoned.
"No call can be taken casually," he said.
