THE Madrid bomb blasts could inspire al-Qaeda terrorists to carry out a similar attack during rush-hour travel in London or other British cities, security officials said yesterday.
Even though the attacks in Madrid were being firmly laid at the door of Eta, the Basque separatist organisation, officials said that the huge impact of the bombs, in terms of casualties and public panic, could encourage organisations such as al-Qaeda to emulate the atrocity.
Eliza Manningham-Buller, the head of MI5, the Security Service, has been warning ministers for some time that al-Qaeda has plans to commit a spectacular attack in Britain, and transport networks are considered a prime target.
One security official said: “There was judged to be a high risk of an attack by Eta and