London Olympics Plan: Put Missiles Atop Apartments?

Londoners who plan to rent out their apartments over the course of the Olympics may find another uninvited tenant occupying space atop their flats: surface-to-air missiles. The BBC reports that some 700 residents of a block of apartments in east London received notice that a "Higher Velocity Missile system" could be placed on a water tower on their roof. Though no final decision on ground-based air defense systems has been made, one tenant says he say soldiers lugging a crate into his building, and noted that the leaflet explains troops will be present for a military exercise between May 2 and 7.

The location in question is quite close to Olympic Park and offers a clear view of the sky above it, which would allow the military to "counter threats from very high performance, low-flying aircraft." But residents can breathe easy, explains the leaflet: It assures them that "having a 24/7 Armed Forces and police presence will improve your local security and will not make you a target for terrorists." (More 2012 London Olympics stories.)