February 2001 World Headlines

Tuesday, February 27, 2001 - Web posted at 12:01:57 PM GMT

Terrorist link to London blast

LONDON - British police investigating last week's London bomb blast which maimed a teenage army cadet said yesterday that Irish republicans or other guerrillas could have been behind the attack.

Police had earlier said that a guerrilla link to last Wednesday's explosion was not their first line of inquiry but tests have since shown that Semtex or another military explosive was used.

Semtex is a popular weapon of Irish republican guerrillas.

The 14-year-old cadet was blinded and lost a hand when he picked up the explosive device -- disguised as a torch - at a Territorial Army base in west London.

The head of Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Alan Fry, said the device contained high explosives, pointing to a possible guerrilla connection.

- Nampa-Reuters

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