Car bomb defused in busy London area; probe underway

(AP Photo/Akira Suemori)

A car bomb near Piccadilly Circus could have killed hundreds -- if not for an alert ambulance crew that spotted smoke coming from a metallic green Mercedes filled with a dangerous mix of gasoline, propane and nails, officials said. The bomb was defused early today in the busy nightclub area of Haymarket, shown above.

TERRORISTS TO BLAME?: Two officials in Washington who were briefed on the investigation said British authorities had so far found no terrorist link in the early stages of the investigation.

THE INVESTIGATION: Authorities are examining footage from closed-circuit TV cameras and hope the surveillance network that covers much of central London will help them track down the Mercedes driver.

Authorities also were investigating a second suspicious vehicle found in the area.

With Independence Day around the corner, U.S. authorities are urging Americans to be vigilant in the wake of the London bomb scare.

For the latest developments, read this report from London by David Stringer.

--Paul Chavez