London:
Scotland Yard is bracing for all types of security threats to the royal wedding threats that range from terrorists and anarchists to anti-monarchists and other protesters.
The declaration today came after rogue groups disrupted a peaceful demonstration Saturday against Britain's harshest spending cuts since World War II. About 250,000 protesters flooded London, but small groups broke away, hurling ammonia-filled light bulbs, paint and wooden planks at officers and smashing windows near Trafalgar Square. Over 200 people were arrested.
Similar groups attacked a car carrying Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, during student protests in December.
Police commander Bob Broadhurst said Monday the April 29 wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton at London's Westminster Abbey carries even more of a security threat than the anti-austerity protests. Since the event has special security implications, U.K. police will be able to use special stop-and-search powers that fall under Britain's counterterrorism laws.
"They won't get away with it," Broadhurst told BBC radio today. "The royal wedding has a different tenor to it. It's a security operation largely." British security officials have said there is no specific terror threat to the wedding, but they are monitoring chatter over the Internet and other channels. UK police were criticized today for being too slow to realize what some of the protesters over the weekend were planning.
Police will be confronted by a myriad of security concerns at the royal wedding, including a general terror threat and crowd control for tens of thousands along a route that snakes through central London. They will be checking vehicles for explosives and looking for snipers on rooftops or amid crowds. They also need to decide whether or not to search the estimated 1,900 guests going into the Abbey or passers-by, and whether to allow protests nearby.
Only a fraction of Britain's police carry firearms. Last year, a terror tip sparked concerns that gunmen could wage Mumbai-style attacks in a European capital. The 2008 Mumbai shooting spree killed 166 people and paralyzed India's business capital for days.
"The (UK) terror threat is currently at severe but if we know of a specific plot likely to occur it could be raised to critical," a British security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of his job. He declined to discuss specific threats.