Religious leaders deplore outrage, express sympathy to victims

Religious reaction: The Catholic hierarchy and members of the Islamic community in Ireland were among those to express their sympathies to the victims of the London attacks.

The Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland expressed its condolences to the victims' families. While it said it condemned the attacks, "we wish to clarify that such horrific acts are in no way associated with the Islamic faith and furthermore we state that the killing of the innocent and devastation caused as a result of the attacks to families and structures is totally in contradiction to Islamic teachings".

The Irish Anti-War Movement (IAWM) joined them in condemning the bombings but said the blasts were a "predictable" consequence of the British occupation of Iraq.

IAWM chairman Richard Boyd-Barrett described the bombings as deplorable but said they were the "bitter fruits" of British involvement in Iraq.

The Catholic Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Seán Brady, offered condolences and prayers to all those affected, saying: "I would like to assure the president of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor of the sympathy and support of the entire Catholic community in Ireland at this difficult time."

The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, who was in London around the time of the explosions, called for prayers for those killed and injured.

The Irish Sikh Council also condemned what it described as "a drastically terrible act of terrorism committed by enemies of humanity". In a statement, the council said: "We request that people from all faiths and communities must unite to tackle such acts of terrorism that are aimed at killing innocent civilians."