LONDON -- Days after a gun attack killed British tourists holidaying at a Tunisian beach resort, police and other emergency services are holding a major drill in London, simulating a terrorist attack with firearms to see how the city's various agencies respond.
The exercise, starting Tuesday and going over two days, is the largest one of its kind in the city. Named Operation Strong Tower, it has been in the planning for more than six months, according to a statement from the Metropolitan Police.
We are taking part in a #999exercise today which will test the emergency services' response to a marauding terrorist attack in #London— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) June 30, 2015
Interaction with and disruption to the public will be kept to a minimum but elements of it will be visible, such as the tactical response on the ground at the site of the exercise on Tuesday at Aldwych tube station in central London.
14 different agencies are taking part in the large-scale simulation, which was developed by the Met Police and the Home Office under the national counter-terrorism programme of exercises. The exercise was planned following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris earlier this year.
Don’t worry if you see lots of emergency services vehicles near #Aldwych, we are training today #999exercise pic.twitter.com/BnHnykbmXU— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) June 30, 2015
Some of the agencies involved in the mock attack were tweeting about the event using the hashtag #999exercise on Tuesday morning.
"Sadly, London is no stranger to terrorism. Given the changing nature of the very real terrorism threat and events around the world we need to constantly adapt our plans and prepare for new or emerging threats," Met Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Maxine de Brunner said in a statement.
Meanwhile, it's been reported that a special 130-officer-strong unit has been created to deal with the threat of terrorist gun attacks in Britain, according to The Guardian. The group, which has trained with the army's special forces, is equipped to storm buildings, rescue hostages and descend from a helicopter using a rope.