British reaction Britain's long-held fears that it would become a target for al-Qaeda were realised yesterday when at least 27 people were killed and 450 injured in twin suicide bombings aimed at UK interests in Istanbul.
At least three of the victims were Britons, including the consul-general, Roger Short, and one of his staff, Lisa Hallworth.
British security forces have been predicting since September 11th, 2001 such an assault on America's ally in the war against terrorism. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for yesterday's attack.
Looking shocked by the scale of the devastation, Tony Blair, at a joint press conference with Mr Bush, said he would not "flinch" in the face of the terrorist threat.
"What this latest terrorist outrage shows us is that this is a war - its main battleground is Iraq," he said.
"We stand absolutely firm until this job is done - done in Iraq, done elsewhere in the world.
"If they think that when they go and kill people by these terrorist attacks, they are going to somehow weaken us, or make us think, well, let's shuffle to the back of the queue and hide away from this, they are wrong. That is not the tradition of my country, and it's not the tradition of the British people or the American people."
Mr Blair also faced questions about whether the attack was a result of Britain's close alliance with the US and Mr Bush's presence in London.
The prime minister replied: "What has caused the terrorist attack today in Turkey is not the president of the United States, is not the alliance between America and Britain, what is responsible for that terrorist attack is terrorism, are the terrorists."
The blasts, which levelled buildings in the consulate and ripped off the facade of a high-rise HSBC office block, had "all the hallmarks of international terrorism practised by al-Qaeda," said foreign secretary Mr Jack Straw.
The precise timing of the Istanbul attacks sent a shockwave through the western intelligence and security community. Concrete blocks, to prevent suicide bombings, were being re-positioned in London's Parliament Square, though police insisted they were placed to provide protection for Mr Bush's visit.
The UK home secretary, David Blunkett, and London's Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir John Stevens, appealed for greater public vigilance.
The joint intelligence analysis centre, a group formed in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the US, began reviewing security operations already in place.
The jitters also extended to Washington yesterday where the White House was briefly evacuated after an alarm about a plane breaching security.
The decision was subsequently blamed on faulty radar readings.
Taken along with the attack on a compound for foreign workers in Saudi Arabia less than a fortnight ago and Saturday's bombings of two synagogues in Istanbul, yesterday's blasts mark one of the most deadly periods of al-Qaeda activity since September 11th 2001.
It comes as the holy month of Ramadan draws to an end. The damage inflicted on al-Qaeda's training camps and lines of communication by the American invasion of Afghanistan may now have been repaired, security analysts were warning yesterday.
Sixteen members of Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch were dispatched to assist with the Turkish investigation. Several family liaison officers were also sent to help friends and relatives of British victims.
- (Guardian Service)