The 7 July 2005 London bombings , also known as 7/7 , were a series of coordinated suicide attacks on London's public transport system during the morning rush hour. The bombings were carried out by four British Muslim men, three of Pakistani descent and one of Jamaican descent who had converted to Islam, all of whom were motivated by Britain's involvement in the Iraq War.
At 08:50, three bombs exploded within fifty seconds of each other on three London Underground trains, a fourth exploding an hour later at 09:47 on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square. The explosions were caused by home-made organic peroxide-based devices, packed into rucksacks and almost certainly detonated by the bombers themselves. 56 people were killed, including the bombers, and about 700 were injured.
Attacks
On the Underground
Further information: Timeline of the 2005 London bombings and Attacks on the London Underground08:50 — Three bombs on the London Underground exploded within fifty seconds of each other:
- The first bomb exploded on an eastbound Circle Line sub-surface Underground train, number 204, travelling between Liverpool Street and Aldgate. The train had left King's Cross St. Pancras about eight minutes earlier. At the time of the explosion, the third carriage of the train was approximately 100 yards (90 m) down the tunnel from Liverpool Street. The parallel track of the Hammersmith and City Line from Liverpool Street to Aldgate East was also damaged.
- The second bomb exploded on the second carriage of a westbound Circle Line sub-surface Underground train, number 216. The train had just left platform 4 at Edgware Road and was heading for Paddington. The train had left King's Cross St. Pancras about eight minutes earlier. There were several other trains nearby at the time of the explosion. An eastbound Circle Line train (arriving at platform 3 at Edgware Road from Paddington) was passing next to the train and was damaged, along with a wall that later collapsed. There were two other trains at Edgware Road: an unidentified train on platform 2, and an eastbound Hammersmith & City line train that had just arrived at platform 1.
- The third bomb exploded on a southbound Piccadilly line deep-level Underground train, number 311, travelling between King's Cross St. Pancras and Russell Square. The bomb exploded about one minute after the train left King's Cross, by which time it had travelled about 500 yards (450 m). The explosion took place at the rear of the first carriage of the train (car no 166), causing severe damage to the rear of that carriage, as well as the front of the second one. The surrounding tunnel also sustained damage.
It was originally thought that there had been six, rather than three, explosions on the Underground. The bus bombing brought the reported total to seven; however, this error was corrected later that day. This was because the blasts occurred on trains that were between stations, causing the wounded to emerge from both stations, giving the impression that there was an incident at each station. Police also revised the timings of the tube blasts: initial reports had indicated that they occurred over a period of almost half an hour. This was due to initial confusion at London Underground, where the explosions were initially thought to be due to a power surge. One initial report, in the minutes after the explosions, involved a person under a train, while another concerned a derailment (both of which did actually occur, but only as a result of the explosions). A Code Amber Alert was declared at 09:19, and London Underground began to shut down the network, bringing trains into stations and suspending all services. The effects of the bombs are thought to have varied due to the differing characteristics of the tunnels.
- The Circle Line is a "cut and cover" sub-surface tunnel, about 7 m (21 ft) deep. Because the tunnel contains two parallel tracks, it is relatively wide. The two explosions on this line were probably able to vent their force into the tunnel, reducing their destructive force.
- The Piccadilly Line is a deep tunnel, up to 30 m (100 ft) underground, with narrow (3.5 m, or 11 ft) single-track tubes and just 15 cm (6 in) clearances. This narrow space reflected the blast force, concentrating its effect.
On a double-decker bus
- 09:47 — An explosion occurred in Tavistock Square on the No. 30, a Dennis Trident 2 double-decker bus, fleet number 17758, registration LX03BUF, two years in service at the time, operated by Stagecoach London Stratford (SD) depot, travelling its route from Marble Arch to Hackney Wick.
Earlier, the bus had passed through the King's Cross area as it travelled from Hackney Wick to Marble Arch. At Marble Arch, the bus turned around and started the return route from Marble Arch to Hackney Wick. It left Marble Arch at 09:00 a.m. and arrived at Euston bus station at 09:35 a.m., where crowds of people had been evacuated from the tube and were boarding buses.
The explosion ripped the roof off the top deck of the vehicle and destroyed the back of the bus. Witnesses reported seeing "half a bus flying through the air".
The detonation took place close to the British Medical Association building on Upper Woburn Place, and a number of doctors in or near the building were able to provide immediate emergency medical assistance. BBC Radio 5 Live and The Sun newspaper later reported that two injured bus passengers said that they saw a man exploding in the bus. News reports have identified Hasib Hussain as the person with the bomb on the bus. The bus was running off its normal route at the time of the explosion; it was in Woburn Place, because its usual route along Euston Road had been closed, due to the earlier bombing of the tube train between Kings Cross and Russell Square.
The bus bomb exploded towards the rear of the vehicle's top deck, totally destroying that portion of it but leaving the front of the bus intact. Most of the passengers at the front of the top deck are believed to have survived, as did those on the front of the lower deck including the driver, but those at the top and lower rear of the bus took the brunt of the explosion. The extreme physical damage caused to the victims' bodies resulted in a lengthy delay in announcing the death toll from the bombing while the police determined how many bodies were present and whether the bomber was one of them. A number of passers-by were also injured by the explosion and surrounding buildings were damaged by fragments.
Two more suspicious packages were later found on underground trains and destroyed using controlled explosions. Police later said they were not bombs.
The bombed bus was subsequently removed by low loader (and covered in a tarpaulin) for forensic examination at a secure MOD site. The vehicle was ultimately returned to Stagecoach, and sold for breaking. A replacement bus for 17758 was a new Alexander Dennis Enviro400, fleet number 18500 (LX55 HGC), named "Spirit of London".
The bombers
Profiles
The bombers were named as:
- Mohammad Sidique Khan (30) - Edgware Road Tube 8:50 a.m. Lived in Dewsbury with his heavily pregnant wife and young child. (Hasina Patel miscarried August 2005).
- Shehzad Tanweer (22) - Aldgate Tube 8:50 a.m. Lived in Leeds with his mother and father working in a fish-and-chip shop.
- Germaine Lindsay (19) - Russell Square 8:50 a.m. Lived in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire with his pregnant wife.
- Hasib Hussain (18) - Tavistock Square 9:47 a.m. Lived in Leeds with his brother Imran and sister-in-law Shazia.
The men were reported to be "cleanskins," meaning previously unknown to authorities. On the day of the attacks, all four had travelled to Luton in Bedfordshire by car, then to London by train. They were recorded on CCTV arriving at King's Cross station at about 08:30 a.m. On 12 July, the BBC reported that Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism chief, had said that property belonging to one of the bombers had been found at both the Aldgate and Edgware Road blasts.
Videotaped statements
Two of the bombers made videotapes describing their reasons for becoming what they called "soldiers". In a videotape aired by Al Jazeera on 1 September 2005, Mohammad Sidique Khan, described his motivation. The tape had been edited and also featured Al Qaeda memb
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