Bomb Threat in London On the Eve of Queen’s Visit to Ireland

Queen’s Visit to Ireland (charlotteobserver.com)

Scotland Yard announced it received a bomb threat related to central London on Monday, a day before the historical visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland.

The threat made no specification of a certain location in central London or time, and is considered by the Scotland Yard as the work of Irish republican terrorism.

Police closed a road leading to the Buckingham Palace for an hour, but the thorough search revealed nothing suspicious.

During her four-day visit to Dublin, the Queen will be protected by more than 100 armed British police who will take to the streets of the Irish capital on Tuesday.

The idea of British police force walking the streets of Dublin was at first rejected by the Irish authorities, but then 120 Metropolitan Police officers were allowed to carry guns. They will join 8000 Irish police and 2000 soldiers drafted for the occasion.

The visit of the Queen is the first of a British monarch to the capital of Ireland since 1911.

In order to make sure no incident will occur, the municipality decided to turn the centre of the capital in a car-free zone for the duration of the visit.

The republicans promised to disrupt the visit, whose first day coincides with the 37th anniversary of the Troubles, in which 34 people were killed in four car bombs in the capital of Ireland and Monaghan.

The radical republican group Eirigi plans to occupy the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin, where the Queen is expected to lay a wreath.

In spite of these threats, the president of Ireland said on Sunday that the visit of the Queen is an excellent moment for the two countries, while the Irish PM said she would be warmly received by most of the people in Ireland.