What puzzles me is that after the initial claim on the internet, ther has been no further substantiation or confirmation ; and - more important - no statement coming from any organisation explaining the reasons for the bombings or the ideology that led to them; no notes, no messages, no demand for troop withdrawal or cancellation of the Olympics or the G8. Very unusual in such cases, and unheard of in Al Qaeda actions.

There's still a lot more to this than we know (or the investigators, I venture to suggest). Still, that doesn't stop people from jumping to conclusions and sending threatening messages to muslims. Bad days to come yet, I fear.

They say that such terrorists often are so secretive about their allegiances that even immediate family members would not be aware of their role. My heart goes to the victims' families; but also to the Tewkesbury muslims who are now viewed collectively with suspicion by some (thankfully not all, not even the majority). Not knowing why you lost a dear friend or relative must be torture. And being told that your son or friend may have been a terrorist (which you never suspected and in your heart may find hard to believe) must also be a torture, of a different kind. I am not comparing the two kinds - but there is more heartache out there than I realised at first. And what's worse, there may be worse to come if the hotheaded take action.