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The cell phone strikes again?

Ben Charny Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Ben Charny
covers Net telephony and the cellular industry.
Ben Charny

Were cell phones used Thursday to remotely trigger the deadly terrorist bombings in London? While official confirmation was not immediately forthcoming, CNN, an American news agency, reported that British investigators believe cell phones may have been used to trigger the bombs. Also, British news agency the BBC reported speculation that the British government ordered the nation's cell phone network shut down in order to prevent mobile phones from being used to trigger any more bombs.

There is precedent for such thinking. On March 11, 2004, when cell phones were used to remotely trigger bombs in Madrid, Spain that killed 190 people and injured hundreds of others. There are a handful of other examples as well.