London: In a “severest” warning, the Scotland Yard has said that London faces threat of a Mumbai- style terror attack at key places early next year with the terrorists poised to strike the city using handguns, bombs and hostage-taking techniques.

“Mumbai is coming to London,” warned a senior detective from SO15, the Metropolitan police’s counter-terrorism command.

In a briefing here 12 days ago, the detective said companies should expect a “shooting and hostage-taking raid involving a small number of gunmen with handguns and improvised explosive devices.”

The severest warning issued by police following the 26/11 terrorist attack on Mumbai has underlined an assessment that a terrorist cell may be preparing an attack on London early next year, The Sunday Times reported today.

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The upcoming G-20 meeting in London promises to bring some big headlines over the coming days. The website CommonDreams.org reports on preparations by “Scotland Yard to deploy officers armed with 50,000-volt Taser stun guns to deal with violent demonstrators planning to disrupt this week’s G20 summit in London.

The centrepiece of the security plan will be hundreds of officers from the Metropolitan police territorial support group, who are routinely armed with speedcuffs, extended batons and CS gas spray.

The Met confirmed yesterday that they will be supported by officers equipped with Tasers on stand-by should trouble break out.

“There will be an armed response vehicle element to this operation and [those officers] will be carrying Tasers,” said a spokeswoman.

The Met’s admission that Tasers could be used for the first time in the UK during riots came as protest groups claimed police had contacted them to warn that a day of protest in the City on Wednesday would be “very violent”.

Read the full article on Common Dreams.