The sophistication of the bombs used in London appears to be fairly high and the work of one man, according to reports in The Times UK:

Similar components from the explosive devices have been found at all four murder sites, leading detectives to believe that each of the 10lb rucksack bombs was the work of one man. They also believe that the materials used were not home made but sophisticated military explosives, possibly smuggled into Britain from the Balkans.

This is not good news since it means there could be a large supply of material available to the terrorists within Europe. And it may be a sign also of the depth of the failures by the EU and the UN to heal that region (see this map for a historical perspective). If muslims in the Balkans start supporting terrorism against the west that would make the situation in Europe really tough. And if the polls in the UK since the blasts are any indication, the muslim community would see a backlash:

News of the breakthrough comes as a Times poll conducted in the aftermath of the bombings indicates that an overwhelming majority of the British public favours a tough approach to terrorist suspects. Almost 90 per cent of people want the police to be given new powers to arrest people suspected of planning terrorist acts, tighter immigration controls and strict baggage inspections.

Londoners, who bore the brunt of last Thursday’s carnage, were not as supportive of draconian measures as people in the rest of the country.

And it appears that the one bus bomb may be the key to resolving some of the puzzle here. It is hard to believe this was a deliberate, suicide bombing given the other three blasts may not have been.

It is understood that the examination of the No 30 bus at Tavistock Square has yielded vital fragments that have sharpened the focus of the police inquiry. Forensic pathologists have been paying particular attention to the remains of two bodies found in the mangled wreckage of the double-decker.

A senior police source said: “There are two bodies which have to be examined in great detail because they appear to have been holding the bomb or sitting on top of it. One of those might turn out to be the bomber.”

I still think this was part of the plot where the timing went seriously wrong.