Terror Attacks in London

A day after it celebrated being awarded the 2012 Olympic Games, London sustained a series of deadly bombings. The Tube and a bus were the targets of these attacks. Currently, damage and casualty figures vary among different media outlets but it appears that they are significant. Yahoo! News is reporting 40 killed and 300 injured. While those figures are likely to change as we learn more, we're getting that same sinking sensation that we developed as we started to put the pieces together on 9/11/01, 3/11/04 and on other deadly days. This is increasingly looking like the handiwork of Al Qaeda, with a group calling itself "The Secret Organization of al-Qaeda in Europe" now taking responsibility.

Today's attacks resonate particularly deeply for me. I have a young cousin who recently moved to London to start her career. Fortunately, she is safe and accounted for but was held up on her train to work as a result of the attacks. Even so, the notion that such a bright, hopeful and beautiful young girl was even threatened with being cut down by this hideous and deadly ideology just as she is starting a new life is enough to summarize precisely why this form of terrorism must be defeated. A number of friends from school also reside in London and I remain very concerned about their status.

Another reason why today's attacks strike such a deep chord with me is that I was in London on 9/11. I was checking in at Heathrow Airport for a return to New York at the time of those attacks and was consequently stranded in London for another week. During that week, I must say that I developed a particularly deep bond with the British people as a result of the solidarity they demonstrated during some of my and my nation's darkest hours.

I was at Buckingham Palace when the Royal Guard played the Star-Spangled Banner for the only time in its history. I joined the Queen and 30,000 Londoners at St. Paul's for the mass held for the victims of the attacks. I remember the very moving show of support lent by London's famed tabloids when they published full-page American flags on their back pages. These large paper flags turned up in nearly every shop or flat-window that you saw. I also remember people coming up to us on the street upon hearing our accents and lending their solidarity in often very moving ways. A taxi driver told me, "Hey mate, we're with you. America's our best friend in the world."

I couldn't have a deeper affinity for the people of the UK as a result of the experience I had in those uncertain days. Even now, tears well in my eyes just thinking about it. At a time when I felt so alone, scared, worried, and helpless it was the people of London who helped buck me up. And I will never forget it. I can only hope that my country can be there for them now, in their time of need. My prayers and deepest condolensces go out to all of those affected.