Rocket launcher theory in MI6 attack

In this story: Intelligence work 'not disrupted' Witnesses heard two blasts RELATED STORIES, SITES

LONDON, England -- Police investigating a missile attack on the headquarters of Britain's MI6 foreign intelligence service believe a rocket launcher was fired at the building from a distance of between 200 and 500 metres.

A small missile hit the upper part of the high-security building, on the south bank of the River Thames, late on Wednesday evening, but caused little damage.

Assistant District Commissioner Alan Fry, head of Scotland Yard's Anti-Terrorist Branch, said the weapon used was known to be in the hands of certain groups, including dissident Irish republicans.

AUDIO CNN's Walter Rodgers reports from the scene of the missile strike. 1.28M/59 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Terrorism expert Michael Yardley explains the difficulty of defending possible terrorist targets. 755K/34 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Yardley discusses possible motivations for the attack. 1.15M/53 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Scotland Yard calls for public assistance in its investigation: 1.17M/26 sec. AIFF sound     HOTLINE  Scotland Yard hotline:  0800-789-321     ALSO MI6: Spy force shrouded in mystery

He said similar weapons had been discovered in finds in both the north and south of Ireland.

"It was an audacious attack in a busy part of London and we will be looking to hunt down those responsible. You can be assured that no stone will be left unturned," he added.

Fry said teams of scientists were carrying out a painstaking forensic search alongside officers from the Anti-Terrorist Branch.

The search caused widespread disruption to rail and road services, including Eurostar services to the Paris and Brussels, during the morning rush hour.

But he said rail services could resume by early afternoon and roads would be back to normal shortly after.

CNN's Richard Blystone, reporting from the scene, said: "Acres of streets and rail lines are blocked as the search for clues goes on."

Fry said: "An examination of the exterior of the building would show some form of small missile hit the building at around the eighth floor. It caused minimal damage."

He was unable to say who had fired the missile, but would not rule out renegade Northern Irish paramilitary groups opposed to the peace process there.

"Clearly I have to keep in mind the capability of dissident Irish groups," he added. "But at this stage I would not be ruling out any other group who might see the secret intelligence service as a potential target."

It had not disrupted the work of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), he said. No warning had been given and no group had claimed responsibility. But police warned the public earlier in the year to be alert to the threat of terrorist attacks.

Fry said the projectile did not appear to have been a mortar shell. "In all probability I would doubt it is a mortar -- I would have expected more substantial damage," he said.

He said a forensic examination of the surrounding area would mean that the Eurostar rail link with Paris and Brussels as well as local train services and traffic would be disrupted during Thursday's morning rush hour.

The futuristic green glass MI6 building on the south bank of the River Thames, less than a mile from parliament and the main government offices in Whitehall, is probably one of the most secure and closely guarded compounds in Britain.

It is surrounded by an array of video cameras, and the attack was certain to prompt questions about security.

The building is already famous for having featured in the last James Bond film "The World is not Enough," where it "exploded" in the opening scene.

A series of bombs planted in London earlier this year have been blamed on Northern Irish republican splinter groups opposed to the province's fragile peace process.

Northern Irish republican guerrillas have a long history of bomb attacks in Britain. In 1991, the Irish Republican Army attacked the prime minister's Downing Street office with home-made mortars launched from a van parked nearby.

Although the IRA is now observing a ceasefire, dissidents are believed to be responsible for a bomb attack that damaged London's Hammersmith Bridge in June, and for a bomb planted at a west London railway station in July.

MI6, which deals with foreign intelligence, is the responsibility of the Foreign Office. The domestic intelligence service, MI5, is the responsibility of the Home Office.

Witnesses reported two loud blasts at the top of the large multi-tiered structure that houses the espionage service.

"I heard two large bangs," said Sridharan Balakrishnan, an employee of a Texaco gas station behind the MI6 building, about a mile from the Houses of Parliament. "It was very loud and hurt my ears. Then I saw smoke coming from the MI6 building."

James Trott was crossing Vauxhall Bridge in a minibus when he heard the bangs, and saw shattered glass littering the ground on the Thames side of the building.

"I was just scared," he said. "You're terrified when that sort of thing happens, because you think there might be something else."

Witness Alex Frank said he heard two explosions from his bedroom across the railway tracks from the MI6 building.

"I heard two distinct explosions and massive white clouds over the railway tracks," he said. "There were definitely two explosions of the same strength. They were loud enough to shake the building I'm living in."

Earlier this year, MI6, which is responsible for foreign intelligence, was warned that its ability to gather intelligence could be compromised by recent security lapses.

In March, a laptop computer that contained missing training information for one of Britain's spy agencies was mislaid and recovered by police two weeks later. The Foreign Office refused to comment on the incident, other than to say that security procedures had been tightened and an investigation launched.

News reports suggested that an M16 agent left the laptop in a taxi after spending a night drinking at a bar near the agency's headquarters.

Britain's spy agency was formed in 1921, when it was known as Military Intelligence, section six -- or MI6 for short.

Its heyday came during the Cold War, and since the breakup of the former Soviet Union, the agency has been redefining its role. It is thought to cooperate closely with the domestic security service MI5 in keeping track of paramilitary-military groups in Northern Ireland.

The high-tech spy headquarters bristles with security features, including an extensive closed-circuit television system, and bomb- and bullet-proof walls and windows. Much of the complex is below street level to protect the most sensitive areas from terrorist attacks.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.

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July 19, 2000

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