Attackers
file missile
at agency
■The blast caused little dam
age to Britain's 10-story MI6
intelligence building.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON — Unknown
attackers fired a “small missile"
at the headquarters of Britain’s
MI6 intelligence agency in
central London late
Wednesday, causing an explo
sion on the eighth floor, police
said.
The blast caused limited
damage and no injuries at the
10-story structure at the heart
of Britain’s intelligence abroad.
Witnesses reported hearing
two explosions, large enough
to send up a plume of white
smoke and to rattle buildings
across a railway. The blast
brought firefighters, police and
ambulances to the site on the
south bank of the River
Thames, and police closed the
area around the headquarters.
Police Deputy Assistant
Commissioner Alan Fry,\in
charge of the Anti-Terrorist
Branch, said that at 9:45 p.m.
“an object was fired at Vauxhall
Cross, which is the headquar
ters of the Secret Intelligence
Service.”
“An examination of the
exterior of the building showed
that some form of small missile
has hit the exterior at about the
eighth floor," he told a news <
conference.
Asked if the object was like
a mortar shell, he said he
doubted it was that powerful.
“In all probability I would
doubt it is a mortar -1 would
have expected more substan
tial damage,” he said.
Fry said it was too early to
say if Irish republican groups
might be involved.
“Clearly we have to keep in
mind the capabilities of dissi
dent Irish groups, but at this
stage we will not be ruling out
any group who might see the
secret intelligence service as a
target," Fry said.
The blast caused minimal
damage and the work of the
intelligence service was not
disrupted, he said, adding that
no claim of responsibility for
the attack has been made.
Foreign Secretary Robin
Cook, whose department is
responsible for MI6, said there
were no casualties.
The 10-story, cream and
green modern-style structure
was featured in the James Bond
movie, “The World is not
Enough” and in one scene, was
shown being blown up by a ter
rorist bomb.
Police immediately closed
off roads leading to the area,
located between Vauxhall and
Lambeth bridges over the River
Thames. Officers in yellow
slickers cordoned off the build
ing, barring even police cars
from passing the barriers. The
London Fire Brigade had two
fire engines and crews at the
scene.
M Wo in of Vi oo turn
almighty bangs, a loud one
first, and then another one,”
said Theresa Harding, 68, who
lives nearby. “We honestly
thought it was fireworks."
One witness, Andrew
Preece, told BBC News 24 he
was driving home when he saw
a flash of light coming from the
top of the MI6 building.
“It looked as of it was inter
nal from the center of the
building but the flash of light
was from the top of the build
ing,” he said. “It was followed
by a large bang and the ground
seemed to shake and my car
was shaking.”
Earlier this year, the
Foreign Office said it was tight
ening security procedures
after reported lapses.
In March, a laptop comput
er that contained missing
training information for one of
Britain’s spy agencies was mis
laid and recovered by police
two weeks later.
News reports suggested
that an M16 agent left the lap
top in a taxi after spending a
night drinking at a bar near the
agerlcy’s headquarters.
MI6, formed in 1921, is
responsible for foreign intelli
gence. It is thought to cooper
ate closely with the domestic
security service MI5 in keeping
track of Irish terror groups.
The high-tech spy head
quarters bristles with security
features. Much of the complex
is below street level to protect
the most sensitive areas from
terrorist attacks.
Bylaw change gives ASUN voice on issues
BY MARGARET BEHM
With a change of a definition,
the Association of Students of the
University of Nebraska made it
possible for student government
to take a stand on issues.
The bylaw change will allow
ASUN to voice its opposition to
Initiative 416, a measure that
would outlaw civil unions and
gay marriages.
The bylaw passed redefined
the word “candidate.”
The new bylaw was necessary
because the Student Court ruled
that with the old definition of the
word official “candidate,” ASUN
could not take stands on issues.
ASUN had requested the
Student Court opinion because
some members had wanted to
take a stand against Initiative
416, the state-ballot measure
known as the Defense of
Marriage Act.
Committee for Fees
Allocation bylaws state any stu
dent fee user, which includes
ASUN, is forbidden from taking
positions on ballot initiatives.
The Student Court deter
mined ASUN’s previous defini
tion of candidate would have
precluded it from taking a posi
tion on ballot initiatives, which
was the reason for the new bylaw
passed Wednesday.
Vince Cogley, a Government
Liason Committee lobbyist, col
lected 50 signatures from stu
dents who thought ASUN
shouldn’t take a stand on initia
tives, agreeing with CFA’s defini
tion and the Student Court rul
ing.
Cogley said he collected sig
natures to let students have a sa>
in the decision process.
“The purpose of it was tc
inform ASUN (senators) that stu
dents have a voice,” said Cogley, i
sophomore history major, “an<
that ASUN should listen to tha
voice.”
ASUN senators debated 01
the bylaw before it passed with i
vote of 20-7.
General Studies Senato
Michelle Schrage said ASUN sen
ators needed the authority t<
voice support or disdain for elec
tion issues, which is why the nev
bylaw was necessary.
Senators should trust futun
generations of ASUN to use thi
power wisely, she said.
"What happens if we tie thi
legs of a sitting man, and some
day he needs to stand up an<
walk?” she said.
Committee for Fee
Allocation Chairman Bren
Stanfield disagreed and sai<
ASUN shouldn’t take stands 01
issues.
“There’s no reason to sticl
our neck out and get it cut of
i when the students don’t agree
1 with us, and they can vote for
t themselves anyway,” Stanfield
said.
1 Special Topics Senator
i Urrvano Gamez said students
could always oppose ASUN’s
r views on issues.
“If ASUN takes a stand on an
) issue, any student here could
form a group in direct opposition
i against ASUN,” he said. “Nothing
y
stands in their way.”
In other news: President Joe
Schafer said he attended the firsi
meeting of the Chancellor Search
Committee on Monday. He saic
even though he couldn’t sa)
much about the meeting, he waj
optimistic.
"It seems like we’re heading
on the right track,” he said
"Hopefully we’ll come back with
a good list of candidates soon.”
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