Car Bomb Explodes Near Prime Minister’s Residence in London
LONDON — A hijacked taxi exploded Friday night near the 10 Downing St. home of Prime Minister John Major, causing minor damage and no injuries, police said. Major was in Huntingdon, 55 miles north of London, a spokeswoman said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, the 15th in the British capital since Oct. 7. The Irish Republican Army has claimed responsibility for the previous bombings.
Two unidentified men hired the cab in north London and one of them pulled out a gun and ordered the driver to proceed to Whitehall, an avenue lined with government offices, said Cmdr. George Churchill-Coleman, head of the police anti-terrorist unit.
The hijackers abandoned the cab and told the driver to leave it near Downing Street, he said.
Police spotted the cab--an ordinary car, not a standard black taxicab--and cleared the area before the vehicle exploded, Churchill-Coleman said.
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