Tuesday, July 12 2005 17:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: In their first major operation in connection with the deadly London bombings, British police today (July 12, 2005) raided five homes in West Yorkshire in northern England.

"There have been a series of searches carried out in Yorkshire. Those searches are still going on. There's very little else I can say at the moment, but this activity is directly connected to the outrages on Thursday," Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair told BBC.

The London bombings had left at least 52 people dead and 700 injured.

Pointing out that the raids were part of the bombing investigation, Sir Blair said officers from the Met Police were assisted by the West Yorkshire force in an "intelligence-led operation."

A Met Police spokeswoman told reporters that no arrests have been made so far, adding that the searches were carried out after warrants were issued under the Terrorism Act 2000.

While police only said the activity was in West Yorkshire, British news agency Press Association reported that officers sealed off a section of Colwyn Road in the Beeston area of Leeds, adding that a red Volkswagen car, marked off with police tape, apparently attracted special attention.

The move comes as many families of missing commuters prepare to receive official confirmation of the identities of more victims.

Susan Levy, 53, from Hertfordshire, is so far the only victim of the bombings to be officially identified by coroners.

Police released her name yesterday (July 11, 2005), but have asked for patience as they deal with the "biggest crime scene in English history".

Today's searches are the first known raids by police in connection with last week's bombings.