Specialists from the Counter Terrorism Command (CTC) are leading an investigation after an Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) camera was blown up in South East London, the Metropolitan Police said on Thursday.
The Met said the incident, which occurred on Wednesday, is not being treated as terrorism at this time, and that CTC specialists are involved because of their expertise on explosives.
No one was injured by the explosion but there have been property damages, the Met said.
According to the Met, police officers and the London Fire Brigade attended the scene following reports of an explosion on Willersley Avenue, Sidcup, at around 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday evening.
Initial investigation led the police to believe that the camera had been installed earlier on the day, cut down at around 5:15 p.m., and exploded around 90 minutes later.
The Met said the explosion appeared to be caused by a low-sophistication improvised explosive device (IED).
The explosion caused “further damage to the camera, as well as to some nearby vehicles and a residential property,” the Met said, but no one has been injured.
Officers are treating the incident as a “deliberate act,” but are “keeping an open mind as to whether or not there is a connection between the camera being cut down and the planting of the explosive device.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry, commander for the Bexley area, said, “Thankfully, nobody was injured as a result of this incident, but it is extremely concerning that an explosive device seems to have been deliberately placed in a public place. This could have very easily resulted in members of the public being very seriously injured.
“Because of the seriousness of this incident, we are making urgent enquiries to try and identify anyone involved, and officers with specialist expertise and capability from our Counter Terrorism Command are leading the investigation.
“This was an extremely dangerous incident that could have resulted in innocent members of the public being injured or worse. If you have any information that could assist our investigation, then I would urge you to get in touch immediately.”
Officers are carrying out an “urgent” forensic examination on the recovered remains of the IED and “extensive” CCTV enquiries in and around the area.
ULEZ cameras are installed to record the information of vehicles passing through the zone. Drivers of higher-emission vehicles would be issued a fine if they fail to pay a £12.50 daily charge for driving a non-compliant vehicle.
Damages to ULEZ cameras have been frequent this year over the controversial expansion of the zone to cover the whole of Greater London as a group of activists dubbed “Blade Runners” made it their mission to disable and remove ULEZ cameras as a protest against the policy.
While the explosion is being treated by police as an isolated incident, police advised those who see suspicious activities or a suspicious device on or near a ULEZ camera not to approach and contact police immediately.
