London apartment block to host Olympic missiles - ABC Online

Posted April 29, 2012 15:38:25

Residents of a London apartment block have been told that a missile battery is likely to be installed on the roof of the building to defend the Olympic Games.

The site is one of a number around the capital the military is considering as bases for surface-to-air missiles to protect the games from an aerial terrorist attack.

It is the first time such missiles have been deployed in London since the end of World War II, and the move has shocked some residents at the Bow Quarter housing development, sited in a converted red-brick Victorian match factory.

"There was no consultation, no one knocked on the door," Brian Whelan, a 28-year-old journalist, told Reuters.

"You just wake up one morning, there's a leaflet telling you they are going to put missiles on the roof."

He says the defence measure is excessive.

"I can't imagine the circumstances that would require you to fire missiles over a highly-populated area," he said.

Defence secretary Philip Hammond first announced the plans in November, saying Britain would follow the precedent set by previous Olympics such as the Beijing games in 2008 where surface to air missiles were stationed a kilometre south of its showpiece stadiums.

In a leaflet sent to occupants on Saturday the Defence Ministry said it had chosen the former water tower in the Bow Quarter complex because it offered "an excellent view of the surrounding area and the entire sky above the Olympic Park".

'High-velocity missile system'

The leaflet said a "high-velocity missile system may be situated on the roof" and 10 soldiers stationed in the building for two months for the Games, which start on July 27.

It assured residents that the missiles would only be used in the event of "specific orders from the highest levels of government in response to a confirmed and extreme security threat".

"Having a 24/7 armed forces and police presence will improve your local security and will not make you a target for terrorists," it said.

The rooftop missile battery is one of a number of extraordinary measures Londoners can expect during the high-profile sporting festival, including restrictions on road lanes for Olympic use and a security bill of more than a billion pounds ($1.6 billion).

A security force of more than 40,000, backed by a huge intelligence operation, will guard venues, athletes and the millions of visitors expected to throng the British capital for the Games.

"Lone wolf" terrorist attacks are a major concern for security forces but a range of other threats are also being considered.

In 2005, a day after London was named host city, four home-grown suicide bombers attacked three underground trains and a bus, killing 52 people.

Reuters/AFP

Topics: defence-and-national-security, olympics-summer, england, united-kingdom