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Police to give bomb probe details

U.S. airmen told to stay out of capital

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- British police are expected to give details in the next few hours of their progress in the investigation into the four bombs which killed at least 52 people in London.

Scotland Yard told the UK's Press Association that officers were starting the painstaking task of reviewing 2,500 tapes of CCTV footage Tuesday from across the capital, as scores of families continued to await news of loved ones feared dead following the bombings.

Meanwhile it was revealed that around 10,000 U.S. military personnel based at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath, both in Suffolk, have been instructed not to go into the Greater London area within the M25 motorway until further notice.

Matt Tulis, a spokesman at RAF Mildenhall, told PA: "We are are concerned about the safety of our folks and are trying to do what we can to protect them. This is the best course of action right now."

CNN's John Vause says the instruction to U.S. forces contradicted the message from politicians and London's mayor for people to return to the capital.

"Not everyone believes London is safe," Vause said.

Britain's finance minister Chancellor Gordon Brown is to make a plea to fellow EU finance ministers to increase efforts to seize the assets of terrorist groups, PA reported.

He will ask for a renewed effort during a speech to the European Parliament, in Brussels.

Anxious families frustrated by the slow progress of police efforts to identify victims were asked to show patience Monday by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair.

Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed that Britain will defeat the terrorists who inflicted the "murderous carnage of the innocent."

Talking of Britain's "revulsion" at the attacks, Blair told the House of Commons that 56 people were still in hospital.

The PM said it seemed probable the London attacks were carried out by Islamic extremist terrorists. He said he knew of no specific intelligence that could have prevented the bombings. (Full story)

The PM said the police operation under way was "among the most vigorous and intensive this country has ever seen."

He added: "We will pursue those responsible, not just the perpetrators but the planners of this outrage, wherever they are and we will not rest until they are identified and brought to justice."

Meanwhile Monday, U.S. President George W. Bush expressed solidarity with Britain over the bombings and said terrorists were trying to break the will of the world's democracies by killing innocent people.

"They are mistaken," Bush said of the terrorists. "America will not retreat in the face of terrorists and murderers." (Full story)

London police revealed three additional confirmed deaths above the 49 already announced after making their first positive identification of one of the victims of Thursday's bombings.

Susan Levy, 53, of Hertford, north of London was killed in the subway blast near King's Cross, police and her family said.

Levy was traveling to work after she and one of her two adult sons parted at Finsbury Park station in north London, her husband, Henry Levy, said in a statement.

"She continued her journey by traveling on the train that was victim of one of the appalling terrorist attacks that claimed so many lives," the statement said.

"We are all distraught at her needless loss and our thoughts and prayers are also with the many other families affected by this horrendous tragedy."

Also Monday, University College London (UCL) announced that one of its employees was among the 13 people killed in the bus bombing at Tavistock Square.

But it later retracted that statement, saying Gladys Wundowa, 51, was still missing. Wundowa is a cleaner in the university's civil and environmental engineering department.

Forensics experts have said it could take weeks to identify all the bodies recovered, many of which were mangled in Thursday's attacks.

Police Commissioner Blair told reporters outside King's Cross station that the number of confirmed dead remained at 52, but he expected this to rise.

Rescue workers were now recovering body parts, not entire bodies, he said. He encouraged Londoners to go about their lives as normal, continuing to use the city's public transport systems but remaining vigilant.

He also said police were examining a huge amount of potential evidence, including 2,500 closed circuit television (CCTV) tapes. "We will do all of it, we will do it right and we will do it meticulously. These people are going to be caught," he said.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone made his usual journey to work by Underground, joining commuters in shrugging off the attacks as the city was placed on its highest terror alert level ever.

"We are going to work. We carry on our lives. We don't let a small group of terrorists change the way we live," he said as he boarded a packed Jubilee Line commuter service from Willesden Green to London Bridge for work at City Hall.

Asked if people should try to forget about last week's bomb attack, he said: "We carry on our lives. I don't think we ever stop thinking about last week."

Later, Livingstone opened a book of condolences at City Hall, with sports figures and religious leaders also signing their names. (Full story)

Police briefly evacuated London's King's Cross subway station Monday. Travelers said a suspect package was found at the Underground stop, but police did not immediately give the cause of the evacuation. The station was soon re-opened. There have been several similar evacuations in the days since Thursday's string of bombings.

Much of the train service in London has been restored, although it is limited on some lines after four bombs ripped through three trains and a bus during last Thursday's morning rush hour.

Transit officials said the number of passengers using the system Monday morning was back to normal, The Associated Press reported.

While some travelers took taxis, many said they would use trains and buses in a display of defiance against the attackers.

"I ... will not let the attacks put me off," computer consultant Paul Williams, 42, told AP as he boarded a Tube train. "As far as I am concerned, it is just a normal day at work."

But Ted Wright, chairman of the British Poultry Council, was avoiding the Underground and taking a taxi instead.

"In light of what has happened, I have decided to take a taxi. It will probably cost an extra £6 ($11) but should hopefully put my wife's mind at rest," he told AP.

Deputy Chief Constable Andy Trotter of the British Transport Police said police had "redoubled our efforts" to make people feel safe moving about the capital again.

"We say that London is open for business. If we don't do that, then the terrorists will have won and that's not what we want," Trotter said.

The attacks came as PM Blair was hosting the G8 summit in Scotland and a day after London was awarded the 2012 Olympics. (Bulldog spirit)

Blair's refusal to call off the G8 was a testament to his political and communication skills, CNN's Robin Oakley said. (Analysis)

During the weekend, Blair said it was crucial to address terrorism's underlying causes, which he listed as deprivation, lack of democracy and the ongoing Middle East conflict. (Full story)

On Sunday huge crowds gathered outside London's Buckingham Palace for an ornate ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, at the same time mourning for victims of Thursday's attacks. (Full story)

In their search for clues to the attacks, which also wounded 700 people, police urged the public to send in pictures and video taken with digital cameras or mobile phones at the bomb sites. (Full story)

Police said three British men arrested Sunday at Heathrow airport were released later in the day. The arrests were made under the nation's anti-terrorist laws, and authorities emphasized their arrests should not be linked to the bombings.

Authorities have warned Britain could face more terrorist attacks unless those responsible for the attack on London's transport network are captured.

Home Secretary (interior minister) Charles Clarke repeated the warning Sunday as investigators continued to try to identify the attackers.

"Our fear is of course of more attacks, until we succeed in tracking down the gang which committed the atrocities on Thursday and that's why the No. 1 priority ... has to be the catching of the perpetrators," Clarke, Britain's Cabinet minister for law enforcement, told BBC television.

Throughout the country, authorities were on the lookout for any suspicious activity, implementing procedures in place for the heightened alert level.

In the capital, authorities say it is possible that more bodies are still trapped deep underground at the site of the deadliest attack, where a train was bombed between King's Cross and Russell Square.

Police say 31 people are listed as missing. But with no official list of the victims published, relatives and friends continued their agonizing search, as flowers, notes and appeals for information piled up outside King's Cross station. (Search for missing; Gallery)

Missing persons

Police opened a 24-hour reception center to provide information and support to families. Authorities said they have received more than 100,000 calls about possible missing persons.

Forensics experts were using fingerprints, dental records and DNA analysis to help put names to the bodies, Detective Superintendent Jim Dickie said, adding it could be weeks before all the identities are released.

Authorities said rescue crews were hampered by dangerous conditions -- including asbestos, rats and temperatures that reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) -- in the Piccadilly Line tunnel between the King's Cross and Russell Square stations, where at least 21 people died.

Police say they do not know precisely how the bombings were carried out but that the blasts that ripped through the three trains went off within seconds.

"It was bang, bang, bang, very close together," London Underground managing director Tim O'Toole said. Nearly an hour later, at 9:47 a.m., a fourth explosion tore through a double-decker bus. (Timeline)

Details unclear

The commissioner said the attacks had "all the hallmarks of al Qaeda," and authorities have vowed to hunt down the bombers.

Technical data and witness accounts suggest the bombs contained synchronized timing devices and were probably not triggered by suicide bombers, police said, adding that the bombs were composed of "high explosives" and probably not homemade material. ('Level of sophistication')

The bombs used in the attacks held less than 10 pounds of explosives each -- light enough to fit in a bag or knapsack, police said. (Bombs small, portable)

Police said they were still unclear whether the person who planted the bus bomb died in the explosion or was even onboard at the time. They said the device was in a bag and not strapped to an individual.

Queen Elizabeth II and her eldest son, Prince Charles, visited the wounded in London hospitals and sent a message of defiance to terrorists on behalf of the British people. (Full story)

Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

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