Less than a year before London hosts the 2012 Games, scenes of rioting and looting a few miles from the main Olympic site have raised concerns about security and policing for the event. 
 
 Firefighters look at a burned-out building in Tottenham, north London, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011, after a demonstration against the death of a local man turned violent and cars and shops were set ablaze. One... (Associated Press) 
 
 Local inhabitants view the shell of a burnt-out car in Enfield, north London, Monday, Aug. 8, 2011. New unrest erupted in various locations in London late Sunday, one day after rioting and looting took... (Associated Press) 
 
 Smashed glass doors and windows and wrecked shutters on the shop front of a betting shop and a jewelry shop in Enfield, north London, Monday, Aug. 8, 2011. Violence broke out in the gritty north London... (Associated Press) 
 
 Images of buildings and vehicles in flames broadcast around the world are also poor publicity for the capital as it prepares to stage the games for a third time. 
 
 The unrest, which started Saturday night in the Tottenham area of north London after a police shooting, spread closer to the Olympic complex Monday when scattered violence broke out in the Hackney area of east London. 
 
 "You can imagine how stretched the police would be if this were to occur during the Olympics," said Tony Travers, a local government expert at the London School of Economics. "So I think this will create a worry within City Hall and the Home Office. 
 
 "It's not so much that this might happen again _ unlikely _ as that it reminds the people in charge that while the Olympic Games are going on, any other major event is going to be complicated." 
 
 Groups of youths, many wearing hoods and masks, attacked shops and windows in Hackney. Police in riot gear were pelted with pieces of wood and other objects. 
 
 The government said more than 200 people had been arrested and more than two dozen charged over three days of trouble. Police said at least 35 police officers were injured. 
 
 Sports also felt the impact, with two soccer matches called off because police needed to focus its resources on the violence. East London's West Ham said police told it to postpone the League Cup match against Aldershot on Tuesday because "all major public events in London were to be rearranged," while south London side Charlton said its cup match against Reading was being called off "on safety grounds" on advice from the police. 
 
 Hackney is one of the five boroughs encompassing the Olympic Park, a 1-square-mile site that will be the centerpiece of the games, which start on July 27, 2012. Monday's violence took place about 4 miles from the park. 
 
 The park includes the Olympic Stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies and track and field competition, as well as the velodrome, aquatics center, basketball arena, handball arena and main press and broadcast center. 
 
 Other Olympic venues are located at various sites around the capital, including Hyde Park (triathlon), Horse Guards Parade (beach volleyball), Wembley Stadium (football) and Wimbledon (tennis). There has been no violence in those areas. 
 
 For civic leaders and Olympic organizers, the violence was an unwelcome reminder of London's volatility, less than two weeks after the city celebrated the one-year countdown to the games with great fanfare. 
 
 The International Olympic Committee said it had confidence in British authorities. 
 
 "Security at the Olympic Games is a top priority for the IOC," spokesman Mark Adams said. "It is, however, directly handled by the local authorities, as they know best what is appropriate and proportionate. We are confident they will do a good job in this domain." 
 
 The London organizing committee for the Olympics, declined to comment on the trouble, in what appeared to be an attempt to avoid making any links between the violence and the games. 
 
 Two police cars and a double-decker bus were set on fire Saturday, stores were looted and several buildings along Tottenham's main street _ five miles from the Olympic Park _ were reduced to smoldering shells. 
 
 The unrest was sparked by a police shooting, but some blamed unemployment, insensitive policing and opportunistic looting for the worst violence the city has seen in years. 
 
 Police and politicians insisted the disorder was the work of a criminal minority and not a sign of social tensions or security lapses ahead of the 2012 Games. 
 
 Britain was already preparing a massive security operation for the Olympics, but most of the attention has been on the threat of international terrorism. About 12,000 police officers will be on duty each day of the games, which have a security budget of at least $770 million. 
 
 A day after London was awarded the games in 2005, suicide bombers attacked London's transport network, killing 52 people. The British government is planning for the national terror threat to be "severe" during the Olympics, meaning an attempted attack is highly likely. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Jill Lawless, Meera Selva and Danica Kirka contributed to this report. ||||| Riot police have again been deployed to the streets of London as violence broke out for a third day running. 
 
 Aerial footage shows what is believed to be a large furniture store on a street corner in Croydon completely ablaze. 
 
 Alan McCabe, manager of a pub in Croydon, said the area is "an absolute war zone". ||||| Twitter and Facebook may have enjoyed gushing praise for its roles in catalyzing revolutions across the Middle East, but another social network is emerging as a conduit for mayehm in this weekend's riots in London on Saturday night and Sunday evening: BlackBerry Messenger, known better to thumb-typers as BBM. 
 
 Over the weekend the Daily Mail's Ian Gallagher and Steven Farrell blamed the pandemonium on Twitter, citing a retweeted picture of burning police car as the fuel that flamed the violence. "As the rioting escalated, trouble-makers on Twitter seemed keen to orchestrate the violence, bringing scores more people into the area. One user calling himself 'English Frank' urged attacks on the police, saying: 'Everyone up and roll to Tottenham f*** the 50 [police]. I hope 1 dead tonight,'" added Gallagher and Farrell. 
 
 Looking into Twitter's role, Neal Mann, a Freelance Journalist for Sky News, tried locating the originating Tweets on his Twitter account @fieldproducer, with no success. "Still waiting to see any hard evidence that looters used Twitter to organise, haven't seen a single tweet. Surely not all locked accounts..." Eventually, he found Tweets indicating more happened on BBM than Twitter. "Tweeted at 10am Sunday --> RT @OhioV1 So there has been a bbm broadcast sent around telling people to link up at Enfield Town Station @ 4pm." And, he also found what he believes is an organizing BBM message. 
 
 On his blog Urban Mashup, social media strategist Jonathan Akwue made a longer case for why BBM played a bigger role in organizing looters: 
 
 Well, it appears that BBM messages have been circulating since Thursday’s shooting of Duggan by the police. These have fuelled the anger of the youths that have taken to the streets. BBM was also the channel used to spread the word that the riot had started, and from what I can tell on Twitter, it appears to be the means by which communications continue to be shared. 
 
 Unlike Twitter or Facebook, BBM is much more private. Only BlackBerry users can message with each other, explains The Telegraph's Mathew Holehouser. "Crucially, in order to communicate users have to exchange their phones’ PINs, meaning their messages are private--unlike Twitter or Facebook. Conversations can be held between multiple people simultaneously in 'group chat' sessions." Given the barriers to reading and following a BBM conversation, it presents a useful organizational tool for those planning an event like this. "I am not a security intelligence expert so I don’t know the extent to which the police are able to monitor the BBM network, but Canadian police officers have previously complained that criminals prefer using Blackberry Messenger because it is harder to wiretap," explains Urban Mashup. 
 
 And unlike in the U.S., BlackBerrys remain more popular in the U.K. than iPhones or Andriods, reports TechCrunch's Matt Butcher. "Using BlackBerry handsets--the smartphone of choice for the majority (37%) of British teens, according to last week's Ofcom study," adds The Guardian's Josh Halliday. The phone costs less than other smart phones, and BBM is basically free to users and faster than text messaging, making it an attractive mobile device for London's youth. 
 
 While there may have been planning via BBM, other aspects of the event seeped out through other social networks like Facebook and Twitter. It proved especially helpful as a way for journalists and onlookers to follow the news, explains Holhouse. "A BBC crew were attacked while delivering a live broadcast, forcing the channel and Sky News to withdraw their satellite trucks. In their absence, many turned to Twitter for a stream of eyewitness reports and photographs posted by local residents." And following the death of Mark Duggan, whose murder acted as the catalyst for the event, people flocked to Facebook to commemorate his passing. The page now has more than 8,500 fans. 
 
 Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at rgreenfield at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire. ||||| Tweet with a location 
 
 You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Police ordered soccer clubs in London to postpone matches as violence and looting spread across the British capital Monday for a third night with buildings being set ablaze. 
 
 A masked youth pulls a burning garbage bin set on fire by rioters in Hackney, east London, Monday Aug. 8, 2011. Youths set fire to shops and vehicles in a host of areas of London _ which will host next... (Associated Press) 
 
 A building burns as a riot police officer watches in Croydon, south London, Monday, Aug. 8, 2011. Violence and looting spread across some of London's most impoverished neighborhoods on Monday, with youths... (Associated Press) 
 
 British riot police officers are deployed during riots in Hackney, east London, Monday Aug. 8, 2011. Youths set fire to shops and vehicles in a host of areas of London _ which will host next summer's... (Associated Press) 
 
 British police officers charge rioters, during riots in Hackney, east London, Monday Aug. 8, 2011. Youths set fire to shops and vehicles in a host of areas of London _ which will host next summer's Olympic... (Associated Press) 
 
 As police struggled to contain the spiraling disorder, League Cup matches due to take place at West Ham and Charlton on Tuesday were postponed due to security resources being stretched. 
 
 England's friendly against the Netherlands on Wednesday at Wembley Stadium in north London is also under threat, although officials will meet with police 24 hours before the match to discuss the situation. 
 
 West Ham, though, said police told it to postpone the League Cup match against Aldershot on Tuesday because "all major public events in London were to be rearranged." 
 
 The east London club said it was "because of the need to focus police resources elsewhere." 
 
 "Whilst neither the club or police anticipate any issues around the game itself, the club has to comply with the police request," West Ham said. 
 
 South London side Charlton said its cup match against Reading was being called off "on safety grounds" on advice from the police. 
 
 The violence, which is unrelated to any soccer issues, began late Saturday near Tottenham's ground in north London when a peaceful protest against the fatal police shooting of a man in disputed circumstances degenerated into a rampage. 
 
 The damage at Tottenham's White Hart Lane stadium was limited to a ticket office, which remains closed. 
 
 But Tottenham announced that stadium tours have been canceled for "safety reasons," while the neighborhood's main shopping street remains cordoned off on Monday, with steam still rising from burnt-out buildings. 
 
 The opening game of the Premier League season, however, is still due to go ahead. 
 
 "Following the disturbances in Tottenham over the weekend, the club has been in ongoing discussions with the necessary authorities regarding this coming weekend's Premier League fixture against Everton," Tottenham said in a statement. "We can advise fans that at this stage the game is going ahead and the Club is doing everything it can to ensure that this remains the position." 
 
 Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said the club is "deeply saddened" by the weekend rioting, in which buildings in the area were torched and police officers injured. 
 
 "The club is committed to supporting its community with help with both the physical clean up of our area and the longer term rebuilding of the community spirit," Levy said. "It is more critical than ever that community, business and political leaders _ local and national, public and private _ now work closely together to support the regeneration of this area and we shall certainly look to play our part in that." 
 
 But there has also been anger directed against the club among locals since Levy unveiled plans last year to bid for the right to move into the Olympic Stadium in east London after the 2012 Games. Although the stadium was awarded to rival club West Ham, Tottenham is still challenging that decision in court. 
 
 The club also announced last month that it was still looking to resurrect plans to build a new stadium next to its current home by applying for public funding. 
 
 Levy did not directly refer to the club's future in Tottenham in Monday's statement condemning the weekend violence. ||||| Egyptians and Tunisians took revenge for Khaled Said and Bouazizi by peacefully toppling their murdering regimes, not stealing DVD players. Mosa’ab Elshamy 
 
 mosaaberizing 
 
 The morning after this post was published, Sarah Carr, a Cairene blogger who is a dual citizen of Egypt and Britain, wrote a blog post about the riots, “Love Me, I’m a Looter,” which began with the observation that she is from a south London suburb where riots broke out on Monday. “I’m from Croydon,” she explained. “Someone has to be.” 
 
 As the riots in London continued for a third night on Monday, Egyptian bloggers, watching events unfold on live television, debated the meaning of the violent confrontations between young people and the police, which reminded some of them of their own pitched battles on the streets of Cairo a few months ago. 
 
 Just a few minutes after one CNN correspondent, Dan Rivers, was forced to scurry behind police lines — as bottles were thrown at him and his cameraman in the south London neighborhood of Peckham — the reporter suggested that the riots had seemed to gain a kind of “momentum” through social networking. The dynamic, Mr. Rivers said, reminded him of the way protests had built and spread through cities in the Middle East earlier this year. 
 
 Watching Mr. Rivers report from Peckham, an Egyptian blogger and activist who writes as Zeinobia commented, “The CNN reporter in London is acting as if he is in war zone.” Moments later, she added, “Oh, God, they are attacking the CNN crew in London and it was a live action.” 
 
 Trying to get her head around the mayhem, Zeinobia — who took part in the protests that forced Hosni Mubarak from power — asked her followers on Twitter to explain what was happening. A Cairo radio anchor, who writes as LinaNileFM on the social network, responded, “Riots broke out in North London over a police shooting, started peacefully then turned violent with cars and buildings burnt down.” 
 
 As she switched between coverage of London’s riots on CNN and Al Jazeera, Zeinobia wrote, “To be honest I do not understand why protesters would set shops and houses on fire.” 
 
 To be honest I do not understand why protesters would set shops and houses on fire by all measures Zeinobia 
 
 Zeinobia 
 
 Just before Mr. Rivers suggested to viewers of CNN that the rioters in London seemed to be more interested in looting than protesting, Zeinobia made a similar observation from a much greater distance, writing, “I am sorry but you do not loot to object the murder of a young man, you are using his murder.” 
 
 I am sorry but you do not loot to object the murder of a young man , you are using his murder Zeinobia 
 
 Zeinobia 
 
 Mosa’ab Elshamy, another Cairene blogger and activist who played a role in the protest movement in Egypt, took a similar view of what was happening in London, writing on Twitter: 
 
 Buildings are on fire, shops are being looted while many “activists” on my timeline are cheering on, calling it a revolution. 
 
 After images circulated that showed a London electronics shop being looted, the Egyptian blogger added that even though police brutality sparked revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, “Egyptians and Tunisians took revenge for Khaled Said and Bouazizi by peacefully toppling their murdering regimes, not stealing DVD players.” 
 
 Later, after he was rebuked by another activist blogger, Nora Shalaby, for “simplifying” the London riots, Mr. Elshamy observed that the “thugs” in Egypt who were deployed to attack protesters on behalf of the Mubarak regime “had nothing to do with the revolution and were stopped by people — Londoners need to do that.” 
 
 A bit later, Ms. Shalaby replied, “I don’t support looting or burning but when you marginalize a community for decades you have to except something like this to happen.” 
 
 @mosaaberizing I dont support looting or burning but when u marginalize a community 4 decades u have to except something like this to happen Nora Shalaby 
 
 norashalaby 
 
 Another prominent Egyptian blogger, Alaa Abd El Fattah, who has been outspoken in his hatred for the impunity with which Egyptian police officers have gotten away with murder in the past, also joined the debate, commenting, “seems to happen periodically in Europe, police kills poor boy, riots erupt, hours later nobody talks about police killers just looters.” A short time later, he added, “the point being, when the event is injustice committed by a state against an already marginalized community expect trouble.” 
 
 Mostafa Hussein, another blogger and activist, pointed out, simply, “2011 is an exceptional year.” He then added some criticism of the British state broadcaster’s coverage of the riots that seemed to echo what was said in January and February of Egyptian state television reports: “BBC is making it sound like young people have a single aim and that’s to loot and vandalise. Nothing or very little on why they are doing so.”
– Fires blazed across London as riots continued unabated into a third night in Britain's capital city and even beyond. Metropolitan Police's Twitter feed says that more than 225 people have been arrested, but the official response is coming under fire and one pub manager tells the BBC that the scene is "an absolute war zone." The latest: British PM David Cameron cut short a vacation in Italy, and was returning home overnight, notes NPR. He'll meet with his emergency response team first thing. Over at the Atlantic, Rebecca Greenfield parses the role of the BlackBerry in the spread of the riots, noting that the device is hugely popular in the UK, and BlackBerry Messenger allows much more private messaging. RIM is said to be cooperating with police in figuring out whether the BlackBerry played a role in organizing. London's 2012 Olympics loom large over the riots, notes the AP. "You can imagine how stretched the police would be if this were to occur during the Olympics," says an expert. British police were calling off soccer matches and many public events, reports the AP, because, as one club was told, "of the need to focus police resources elsewhere." Egyptian bloggers are watching the events in London, and giving their two cents, notes the New York Times. One take: "Egyptians and Tunisians took revenge for Khaled Said and Bouazizi by peacefully toppling their murdering regimes, not stealing DVD players."