Mayor's reaction: London's mayor Ken Livingstone said the blasts were "mass murder" carried out by terrorists bent on "indiscriminate . . . slaughter".
Mr Livingstone, in Singapore where he supported London's successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics, said: "I want to say one thing: this was not a terrorist attack against the mighty or the powerful, it is not aimed at presidents or prime ministers, it was aimed at ordinary working-class Londoners.
"That isn't an ideology, it isn't even a perverted faith, it's mass murder. We know what the objective is. They seek to divide London."
He said the attack was aimed at ordinary Londoners, "black and white, Muslim and Christian, Hindus and Jews, young and old".
It was an "indiscriminate attempt to slaughter irrespective of any considerations for age, class, religion - whatever".
Addressing the attackers, Mr Livingstone vowed that London would quickly recover and remain a beacon of freedom for Britons and the people of the world.
"I know that you do fear you may fail in your long-term objective: to destroy our free society. And I will show you why you will fail. In the days that follow, look at our airports, look at our seaports and look at our railways.
"Nothing you do, however many of us you kill, will stop that life . . . where freedom is strong and people can live in harmony . . . whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail."
Muslim groups across Britain condemned the bombings. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said it "utterly condemns the perpetrators of what appears to be a series of co-ordinated attacks".
It added in a statement: "While news unfolds, MCB urges for calm."
The Muslim News, based in Harrow, Middlesex, unreservedly condemned the London bombings.