Keystone al Qaeda

Via My Way News:

The bombs that destroyed three London Underground cars and a double-decker bus each weighed less than 10 pounds and could be carried in a backpack, police said Friday. Police said the bodies of 49 people had been recovered, but warned that the number of deaths would rise.

An explosives expert said they were likely crude homemade devices set off with a simple timer. Experts say Thursday's attacks had all the hallmarks of an al-Qaida strike, and authorities were gathering evidence on the ground and investigating a purported claim of responsibility.

Sir Ian Blair, commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police, said no arrests had been made but officials have "lots and lots" of leads.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke, the Cabinet minister responsible for law and order, said it was a "strong possibility" that al-Qaida or a sympathetic group had carried out the attack.

I've maintained since the first details of the London terrorists attacks started coming to light that these bombing appeared to be the work of amateur terrorists. The crude construction of the bombs was apparent yesterday. Failed detonations, the erratic timing of the detonations, the relatively low number of fatalities and a potential accidental detonation by one bomber are not indicative of professional terrorists.

London's bombers can hate with the best of radical Islamists, but fortunately, they lack technical expertise. They are not al Qaeda (I'll let other argue "al Qaeda" vs. "al Qaida"). They are inept. They are cowards. If it weren't for the fact that they still managed to kill with their bumbling attempts, they would even be clownish.

UPDATE: Cliff May at The Corner isn't very impressed with the wannabes, either.