TERROR ON THE TUBE; What Can Londoners Learn from New York, Which Has Already Been Equipped to Deal with an Attack on the Underground?

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BY TOM MANGOLD,AUTHOR OF PLAGUE WARS

AS London comes to terms with the threat of a terror attack, the Prime Minister has counselled that we should be vigilant on the Tube, and the emergency services and hospitals have given reassurances that the aftermath of an attack could be handled. We know we are living with a new level of threat: the difficulty lies in calculating a response that is not hysterical, but would meet any terror onslaught that uses chemical and biological weapons.

There is no hard evidence that any attack on the Tube is likely, let alone imminent - but with the UK now identified by al Qaeda as a target, it is prudent to prepare for the worst. London Underground's first stop as it reviews safety procedures should be New York.

When terrorist attacks using weapons of mass destruction were first taken seriously as far back as the mid-Sixties, the US Army's Special Operations Branch from Fort …