[On July 7^th in London, a private security company called Visor Consultants was actually conducting a drill, pertaining at least partly to bombs being placed in the London subways. I emailed the company for comment. Here is their response, in full:]

“Thank you for your message. Given the volume of emails about events on 7 July and a commonly expressed misguided belief that our exercise revealed prescient behaviour, or was somehow a conspiracy (noting that several websites interpreted our work that day in an inaccurate / naive / ignorant / hostile manner) it has been decided to issue a single email response as follows:  It is confirmed that a short number of ‘walk through’ scenarios
planed well in advance had commenced that morning for a private company in London (as part of a wider project that remains confidential) and that two scenarios related directly to terrorist bombs at the same time as the ones that actually detonated with such tragic results.   One scenario in particular, was very similar to real time events.”

“However, anyone with knowledge about such ongoing threats to our capital city will be aware that (a) the emergency services have already practiced several of their own exercises based on bombs in the underground system (also reported by the main news channels) and (b) a few months ago the BBC broadcast a similar documentary on the same theme, although with much worse consequences.  It is hardly surprising therefore, that we chose a feasible scenario – but the timing and script was nonetheless, a little
disconcerting.”

“In short, our exercise (which involved just a few people as crisis managers actually responding to a simulated series of activities involving, on paper, 1000 staff) quickly became the real thing and the players that morning responded very well indeed to the sudden reality of events.”

“Beyond this no further comment will be made and based on the extraordinary number of messages from ill informed people, no replies will henceforth be given to anyone unable to demonstrate a bona fide reason for asking (e.g. accredited journalist / academic).
Peter Power
Visor Consultants Limited”

—– Original Message —–
From: “Margie Burns” <margie.burns@verizon.net>
To: <info@visorconsultants.com>
Cc: <margie.burns@verizon.net>
Sent: Monday, July 11, 2005 6:47 PM
Subject: questions re drill on July 7th

> Hello. I am a journalist in the Washington, DC, area. I have received more > than one email saying that your company was conducting drills that > coincided exactly in timing with the bombings in London on July 7. Three > questions:
>
> 1) Is the above true and correct?
> 2) Did the drills concern or include representations of the London subways > being bombed?
> 3) Did you give an interview on this topic to the BBC on the evening of > the 7th?
>
> Any information appreciated. No one is accusing you of any wrongdoing, but > it is always best to get even trifling facts straight.  Thank you very > much.
>> Sincerely, Margie Burns>
>

[A couple of thoughts, here: obviously the individuals who planted those bombs took advantage of the drill, along with the advantage of extra crowds in London that day amid the hubbub of the Olympics announcement. Just as obviously, the individuals who planned the strikes of 9/11 took similar advantage of the drills on that date. Any genuine investigation would look into the question of who knew about those drills. I’m not expecting that the knowledge was particularly restricted – undoubtedly it was easily accessible, especially with the “911” date — but it numbers among several obvious starting points for inquiry. The inquiry cannot be confined to individuals “in government,” either. It must extend to private firms, both in the U.S. and in Britain.]