THE Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand may have been the intended target of the IRA bomb which exploded in London on Sunday night, Scotland Yard officers believe.
The courts building is only a few hundred metres from the scene of the explosion.
Commander John Grieve, head of the anti terrorist squad, said he believed the bomb - which destroyed the double decker bus on which it was being carried - had gone off accidentally.
Commander Grieve said it appeared the terrorists had chosen to travel by public transport to prevent being stopped at the numerous security checkpoints in the city.
It is believed the suspected bomber, who was killed, had sat at the front of the 171 bus with a small case on his lap.
"From our initial examination we believe the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device and the detonation was unintended at that point. The bus was not the intended target we believe. It does not quite match the normal pattern of events surrounding this kind of attack," he said.
Despite strong winds hampering the forensic scientists' detailed investigation of the wreckage, Commander Grieve said officers had been able to establish that the bomb appeared to be home made, but it was still too early to say if it contained Semtex.
Anti terrorist officers salvaged the ticket machine from the wrecked bus in the hope that it might contain vital information on where passengers boarded the bus and how far they intended to travel.
Although London Transport confirmed that the 171 bus had two video security cameras, it is not known whether they are intact.
One camera films passengers on entering the bus, while another films the whole of the top deck. A spokesman said he as optimistic that the footage may have survived, because the cameras are protected by heavy metal casing.
"I think anti terrorist officers will also study the closed circuit television cameras along the 171 bus route and the traffic cameras at the main road junctions in the Strand", he added.
The man being held under police guard at St Thomas's Hospital last night is believed to have been treated for a fractured skull broken pelvis and facial wounds. Although his injuries are described as "nasty", they were also considered not "life threatening", sources said, and his condition was stable.