1975: Man killed in Piccadilly bomb blast

A man has been killed and at least 20 people have been injured - two of them children - in the latest in a string of bomb attacks in London.

The bomb was planted at a bus stop close to Green Park tube station and the Ritz hotel, Piccadilly.

The explosion knocked pedestrians off their feet, shattered shop windows across the road and blew cars onto the pavement.

Dead suspect

Initial reports suggest the man who died may have planted the bomb himself.

Police have cordoned off the area and closed the underground station. Bomb squad officers suspect the attack is the work of the IRA.

Most of the injuries were the result of flying glass hitting passers-by. A family of four Americans and a Swiss family of three were among those hurt.

Police say the dead man, who has not been named, died of a heart attack in St George's Hospital, Hyde Park Corner, where he was taken with severe head, leg and chest injuries.

The explosion at around 2100 GMT threw cutlery and glassware from the tables of diners in the Ritzy.

Guests escaped injury because the main restaurant - which bore the brunt of the blast - had been emptied to make way for an earlier wedding reception.

Al Guenther and his family, from Cleveland, Ohio, were drinking their coffee when the blast shattered glass and dust around them.

Mr Guenther said: "The last time I stayed at the Ritz the V2s were coming over. It doesn't seem to have changed."

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