ABC News: Sources: July 7 London Bomb Plot May Have Been Much Larger

A cautionary note: the Islamist threat in London and elsewhere is real and persistent. A new report from ABC News indicates that the original plans for the July 7 bombings may have been more comprehensive than the attacks which actually took place:

The plot for the July 7 transit bombings in London, which killed 56 people, may have been much larger than previously known, ABC News has learned.

Sources familiar with the investigation tell ABC News an additional 12 bombs and four improvised detonators were found in the trunk of a car believed to be rented by suicide bomber Shehzad Tanweer. Police believe the bombers drove the car to Luton, where they boarded trains to London.

"I believe that the explosives left in that car were left there for a second strike," said Bob Ayers, a London-based terrorism consultant with expertise in demolition. "But the metropolitan police responded so quickly, they were able to get to the car and take control of the car before the second team could get the explosives and leave."