7 July 2005 London bombings

"7/7" and "2005 London bombings" redirect here. For the calendar date, see7 July.For the bombings that happened two weeks later, see21 July 2005 London bombings.

7 July 2005 London bombings
Part ofIslamic terrorism in Europe
3 1 Liverpool Street Station 2 Edgware Road 3 King's Cross St Pancras/Russell Square 4 Tavistock Square 2km 1.2miles 4 3 2 1
Location	London,England
Date	7 July 2005(2005-07-07) 8:49–9:47 a.m. (UTC+1)
Target	Public aboardLondon Undergroundtrains and a bus in Central London
Attack type	Suicide bombings,mass murder,terrorism
Weapons	Improvised explosive devices
Deaths	56 (including the 4 bombers)
Injured	784
Perpetrators	Hasib Hussain Mohammad Sidique Khan Germaine Lindsay Shehzad Tanweer
Motive	Islamic extremism

The7 July 2005 London bombings,also referred to as7/7,were a series of four co-ordinated suicide attacks carried out byIslamist terroriststhat targeted commuters travelling onLondon's public transportduring the morning rush hour.

Three terrorists separately detonated three homemade bombs in quick succession aboardLondon Undergroundtrains inInner London.Later, a fourth terrorist detonated another bomb on a double-decker bus inTavistock Square.The train bombings occurred on theCircle LinenearAldgateand atEdgware Road,and on thePiccadilly LinenearRussell Square.

Apart from the bombers, 52 UK residents of 18 different nationalities were killed and nearly 800 were injured in the attacks. It was the UK's deadliest terrorist incident since the 1988 bombing ofPan Am Flight 103nearLockerbie,and the UK's first Islamist suicide attack.

The explosions were caused byimprovised explosive devicesmade from concentrated hydrogen peroxide and pepper,packed into backpacks. The bombings were followed two weeks later bya series of attempted attacksthat failed to cause injury or damage.

Attacks

London Underground

Further information:Timeline of the 2005 London bombings

See also:Attacks on the London Underground

At 8:49a.m. on Thursday 7 July 2005, three bombs were detonated on London Underground (LU) trains within 50seconds of each other:

1. The first bomb exploded on a six-car London UndergroundCircle Linetrain, number 204, travelling eastbound betweenLiverpool StreetandAldgate.At the time of the explosion, the train's third car was approximately 100yards (90m) along the tunnel from Liverpool Street. The parallel track of theHammersmith & City Linebetween Liverpool Street andAldgate Eastwas also damaged in the blast.
2. The second bomb exploded in the second car of another six-car London Underground Circle Line train, number 216, which had just leftEdgware Roadand was travelling westbound towardsPaddington.An eastbound Circle Line train that was passing next to the bombed train was also damaged,as was a wall that later collapsed.
3. A third bomb was detonated on a six-car London UndergroundPiccadilly Linetrain, number 311, travelling southbound fromKing's Cross St Pancras tube stationtoRussell Square.The device exploded approximately one minute after the service departed King's Cross, by which time it had travelled about 500yards (450m). The explosion occurred at the rear of the first car of the train, causing severe damage to the rear of that car 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 network. The bus bombing brought the reported total to seven; this was clarified later in the day. The incorrect reports were later attributed to the fact that the blasts occurred on trains that were between stations, causing wounded passengers to emerge from both stations, giving the impression that there was an incident at each. Police also revised the timings of the tube blasts: initial reports had indicated that they occurred during a period of almost half an hour. This was due to initial confusion at London Underground, where the explosions were originally believed to have been caused bypower surges.An early report, made in the minutes after the explosions, involved a person under a train, while another described a derailment (both of which did occur, but only as a result of the explosions). A code amber alert was declared by LU at 9:19a.m., and LU began to close operations by ordering trains to continue to the next station and, to remain at that station and detrain passengers.

Passengers awaiting evacuation from a bombed train betweenKing's CrossandRussell Square

The effects of the explosions varied due to the differing characteristics of the tunnels in which each occurred:

• The Circle Line is a "cut and cover"sub-surface tunnel, about 7 m (23 ft) deep. As the tunnel contains two parallel tracks, it is relatively wide. The two explosions on the Circle line were probably able to vent their force into the tunnel, reducing their destructive force.
• The Piccadilly Line is a deep-level tunnel, up to 30m (100ft) below the surface and with narrow (3.56m, or 11ft8+1⁄4in) single-track tubes and just 15cm (6in) clearances. This confined space reflected the blast force, concentrating its effect.

Tavistock Square bus

Almost one hour after the attacks on the London Underground, a fourth bomb exploded on the top deck of anumber 30double-decker bus,travelling its route fromMarble ArchtoHackney Wick.

The bus left Marble Arch at 9:00a.m. and arrived atEuston bus stationat 9:35a.m., where crowds of people had been evacuated from the tube and boarded buses as an alternative method of transport.

Locations of the bombings on a Central London tube map

The explosion at 9:47a.m. in Tavistock Square ripped off the roof and destroyed the rear portion of the bus. The blast took place near BMA House, the headquarters of theBritish Medical Association,onUpper Woburn Place.A number of doctors and medical staff in or near that building were able to provide immediate emergency assistance.

Witnesses reported seeing "papers and half a bus flying through the air".Two injured bus passengers said that they saw a man exploding in the bus.

The location of the bomb inside the bus meant the front of the vehicle remained mostly intact. Most of the passengers at the front of the top deck survived, as did those near the front of the lower deck, including the driver, but those at the rear of the bus suffered more serious injuries, with several individuals being blown from the bus. The extent of the 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. Several passers-by were also injured by the explosion and surrounding buildings were damaged by debris.

The bombed bus was subsequently covered with tarpaulin and removed for forensic examination at a secureMinistry of Defencesite. A replacement bus was namedSpirit of London.

Victims

The 52 victims were of diverse backgrounds. All were UK residents, including exchange students. The majority lived in or near London. Their ages ranged from 20 to 60 years old, with an average age of 34.

Thirty-two victims were British, while one victim each came from Afghanistan, France, Ghana, Grenada, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mauritius, New Zealand, Nigeria, Romania, Sri Lanka and Turkey. Three victims were Polish nationals, while one victim was aVietnamese born Australianand one held dualAmerican-Vietnamesecitizenship.

Seven of the victims were killed at Aldgate, six at Edgware Road, 26 at King's Cross and 13 at Tavistock Square.

Attackers

Hasib Hussain,who detonated the bus bomb in Tavistock Square, is captured on CCTV leaving aBootsstore on theKing's Cross stationconcourse at 9a.m. on 7 July 2005.

The four bombers captured on CCTV atLuton stationat 7:21a.m. on 7 July 2005. From left to right:Hasib Hussain,Germaine Lindsay,Mohammad Sidique Khan,andShehzad Tanweer.

The four suicide bombers were later identified as:

• Mohammad Sidique Khan,aged 30. He lived inBeeston,Leeds, with his wife and young child, where he worked as a learning mentor at a primary school. Khan detonated his bomb on the number 216 train, killing seven people, including himself.
• Shehzad Tanweer,aged 22. He lived in Leeds with his mother and father, working in afish and chip shop.He detonated his bomb on the number 204 train. Eight people, including Tanweer, were killed by the explosion. The explosion also injured future Paralympic athleteMartine Wrightwho was commuting to work.
• Germaine Lindsay,aged 19. He lived inAylesbury,Buckinghamshire, with his pregnant wife and young son. He detonated his device on the number 311 train. The blast killed 27 people, including him.
• Hasib Hussain,aged 18. He lived in Leeds with his brother and sister-in-law. Hussain detonated his bomb on a bus. Fourteen people, including him, died in the explosion in Tavistock Square.

Three of the bombers were British-born sons ofPakistani immigrants;Lindsay was aconvertborn inJamaica.

Charles Clarke,Home Secretarywhen the attacks occurred, described the bombers as "cleanskins",a term describing them as previously unknown to authorities until they carried out their attacks.On the day of the attacks, all four had travelled toLuton,Bedfordshire, by car, then to London by train. They were filmed on CCTV arriving atKing's Cross stationat about 8:30a.m.

Motives

Videotaped statements

Two of the bombers made videotapes describing their reasons for becoming what they called "soldiers". In a videotape broadcast byAl Jazeeraon 1 September 2005, Mohammad Sidique Khan described his motivation. The tape had been edited and mentionedal-QaedamembersOsama bin Laden,Ayman al-ZawahiriandAbu Musab al-Zarqawi,describing them as "today's heroes". Khan's tape said:

I and thousands like me are forsaking everything for what we believe. Our drive and motivation doesn't come from tangible commodities that this world has to offer. Our religion isIslam,obedience to the one true God and following the footsteps of the final prophet messenger. Your democratically-elected governments continuously perpetuate atrocities against my people all over the world. And your support of them makes you directly responsible, just as I am directly responsible for protecting and avenging my Muslim brothers and sisters. Until we feel security you will be our targets and until you stop the bombing, gassing, imprisonment and torture of my people, we will not stop this fight. We are at war and I am a soldier. Now you too will taste the reality of this situation.

The tape continued:

...I myself, I myself, I makedua(pray) toAllah... to raise me amongst those whom I love like theprophets,the messengers, the martyrs and today's heroes like our beloved Sheikh Osama Bin Laden, Dr Ayman al-Zawahri and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and all the other brothers and sisters that are fighting in the... of this cause.

On 6 July 2006, a videotaped statement by Shehzad Tanweer was broadcast by Al-Jazeera. In the video, which may have been edited to include remarks by al-Zawahiri,Tanweer said:

Your government has openly supported thegenocideof over 150,000 innocent Muslims inFalluja... You have offered financial and military support to the U.S. andIsrael,in the massacre of our children inPalestine.You are directly responsible for the problems in Palestine,Afghanistan,andIraqto this day. You have openly declaredwar on Islam,and are the forerunners in thecrusadeagainst theMuslims.... What you have witnessed now is only the beginning of a string of attacks that will continue and become stronger until you pull your forces out of Afghanistan and Iraq. And until you stop your financial and military support to America and Israel.

Tanweer argued that the non-Muslims of Britain deserve such attacks because they voted for a government which "continues to oppress our mothers, children, brothers and sisters inPalestine,Afghanistan, Iraq andChechnya."

Effects and response

Main article:Response to the 2005 London bombings

Initial reports

Tony Blairannounces the attack at the31st G8 summitin Scotland

Initial reports suggested that a power surge on the Underground power grid had caused explosions in power circuits. This was later ruled out by power suppliersNational Grid.Commentators suggested that the explanation had been made because of bomb damage to power lines along the tracks; the rapid series of power failures caused by the explosions (or power being ended by means of switches at the locations to permit evacuation) looked similar, from the point of view of a control room operator, to a cascading series of circuit breaker operations that would result from a major power surge. A couple of hours after the bombings, Home Secretary Charles Clarke confirmed the incidents were terrorist attacks.

Security alerts

Although there were security alerts at many locations throughout the United Kingdom, no terrorist incidents occurred outside central London. Suspicious packages were destroyed in controlled explosions inEdinburgh,Brighton,Coventry,Southampton,Portsmouth,DarlingtonandNottingham.Security across the country was increased to thehighest alert level.

The Timesreported on 17 July 2005 that police sniper units were following as many as a dozen al-Qaeda suspects in Britain. The covert armed teams were ordered to shoot to kill if surveillance suggested that a terror suspect was carrying a bomb and he refused to surrender if challenged. A member of the Metropolitan Police'sSpecialist Firearms Commandsaid: "These units are trained to deal with any eventuality. Since the London bombs, they have been deployed to look at certain people."

Transport and telecoms disruption

Vodafonereported that its mobile telephone network reached capacity at about 10a.m. on the day of the bombings, and it was forced to initiateaccess overload controlto prioritise emergency calls. Othermobile phone networksalso reported failures. TheBBCspeculated that the telephone system was shut down by security services to prevent the possibility of mobile phones being used to trigger bombs. Although this option was considered, it became clear later that the intermittent unavailability of both mobile and landline telephone systems was due only to excessive usage.ACCOLCwas activated only in a 1 km (0.6 mi) radius around Aldgate Tube Station because key emergency personnel did not have ACCOLC-enabled mobile phones.The communications failures during the emergency sparked discussions to improve London'semergency communications system.

Underground stations, includingCaledonian Road(pictured), were closed across London

For most of the day, central London's public transport system was largely out of service following the complete closure of the Underground, the closure of the Zone 1bus network,and the evacuation of incident sites such as Russell Square. Bus services restarted at 4:00p.m. on 7 July, and most mainline railway stations resumed service soon afterward.Rivervessels were pressed into service to provide a free alternative to overcrowded trains and buses. Local lifeboats were required to act as safety boats, including the Sheerness lifeboat from theIsle of Sheppeyin Kent. Thousands of people chose to walk home or to the nearest Zone 2 bus or railway station. Most of the Underground, apart from the stations affected by the bombs, resumed service the next morning, though some commuters chose to stay at home. Affected stretches were also closed for police investigations.

Much of the King's Cross railway station was also closed, with the ticket hall and waiting area being used as a makeshift hospital to treat casualties. Although the station reopened later during the day, only suburban rail services were able to use it, withGreat North Eastern Railwaytrains terminating atPeterborough(the service was fully restored on 9 July). King's Cross St Pancras tube station remained available only toMetropolitan lineservices to facilitate the ongoing recovery and investigation for a week, thoughVictoria lineservices were restored on 15 July and theNorthern lineon 18 July. All of the damaged trains were removed in stages.St Pancras station,located next to King's Cross, was shut on the afternoon of the attacks, with allMidland Mainlinetrains terminating atLeicester,causing disruption to services toSheffield,NottinghamandDerby.

A sign on theM25London orbital road warns drivers to avoid the city.

On 25 July, the Hammersmith & City line was reopened from Baker Street to Barking after the affected train was cleared at Aldgate, together with the stretch from Moorgate to Aldgate of the Metropolitan Line. The Hammersmith to Paddington part of the Hammersmith & City line was a shuttle service after the bombings. On 29 July, the District line was reopened from High Street Kensington to Edgware Road, after the affected train was cleared.

On 2 August, the Hammersmith & City line resumed normal service; the Circle line was still suspended, though all Circle line stations are also served by other lines. The Piccadilly line service resumed on 4 August after the affected train was cleared on 16 July, and enhanced maintenance work was done. On 4 August, the Circle line was reopened again.

List of emergency responses

The list below is of the emergency services, police forces and voluntary aid societies that responded to the bombings to assist with rescue, recovery, security and scene control:

Emergency medical services and voluntary aid societies

• London Ambulance Service(LAS) - response included Motorcycle Response Units (MRUs) and Cycle Response Units (CRU),off-duty personnel also responded.
• London Air Ambulance- sent crews in rapid response vehicles (RRVs), including paramedics and doctors.
• St John Ambulance England(SJA) sent ambulances and medics
• British Red Cross(BRC) sent ambulances and medics to the scene at the request of LAS. They also helped in the aftermath.

Fire and rescue services

• London Fire Brigade(LFB)

Police forces

• Metropolitan Police
• British Transport Police– responded to the tube station attacks, as well as Tavistock Square and conducted mortuary, security, rescue and body recovery duties
• City of London Police

Economic effect

Headlines outsideWaterloo station

There were limited reactions to the attack in theworld economyas measured byfinancial marketandexchange rateactivity. The value of theBritish pounddecreased 0.89cents to a 19-month low against the US dollar. TheFTSE 100 Indexfell by about 200 points during the two hours after the first attack. This was its greatest decrease since theinvasion of Iraq,and it triggered theLondon Stock Exchange's 'Special Measures', restrictingpanic sellingand aimed at ensuring market stability. By the time the market closed, it had recovered to only 71.3 points (1.36%) down on the previous day's three-year closing high. Markets in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain also closed about 1% down on the day.

US market indexes increased slightly, partly because the dollar index increased sharply against the pound and the euro. TheDow Jones Industrial Averagegained 31.61 to 10,302.29. TheNASDAQ Composite Indexincreased 7.01 to 2,075.66. TheS&P 500increased 2.93 points to 1,197.87 after decreasing as much as 1%. Every benchmark value gained 0.3%.

The market values increased again on 8 July as it became clear that the damage caused by the bombings was not as great as thought initially. By end of trading the market had recovered fully to above its level at start of trading on 7 July. Insurers in the UK tend toreinsuretheir terrorist liabilities in excess of the first £75,000,000 withPool Re,a mutual insurer established by the government with major insurers. Pool Re has substantial reserves and newspaper reports indicated that claims would easily be funded.

On 9 July, theBank of England,HM Treasuryand theFinancial Services Authorityrevealed that they had instigated contingency plans immediately after the attacks to ensure that the UK financial markets could keep trading. This involved the activation of a "secret chatroom" on the British government's Financial Sector Continuity website, which allowed the institutions to communicate with the country's banks and market dealers.

Media response

TV newstent atKing's Cross station

Continuous news coverage of the attacks was broadcast throughout 7 July, by bothBBC OneandITV,uninterrupted until 7:00p.m., although the BBC stuck with initial reports of a power surge on the London Underground until actual events could be corroborated.Sky Newsdid not broadcast any advertisements for 24 hours.ITNconfirmed later that its coverage on ITV was its longest uninterrupted on-air news broadcast of its 50-year history.Television coverage was notable for the use of mobile telephone footage sent in by members of the public and live pictures from trafficCCTVcameras.

TheBBC Onlinewebsite recorded an all-timebandwidthpeak of 11Gb/s at midday on 7 July.BBC Newsreceived some 1billion total accesses throughout the course of the day (including all images, text and HTML), serving some 5.5terabytesof data. At peak times during the day there were 40,000-page requests per second for the BBC News website. The previous day's announcement of the2012 Summer Olympicsbeing awarded to London resulted in up to 5Gb/s. The previous all-time maximum for the website followed the announcement of theMichael Jackson verdict,which used 7.2Gb/s.

On 12 July, it was reported that theBritish National Partyreleased leaflets showing images of the 'No. 30 bus' after it was destroyed. The slogan, "Maybe now it's time to start listening to the BNP" was printed beside the photo. Home Secretary Charles Clarke described it as an attempt by the BNP to "cynically exploit the current tragic events in London to further their spread of hatred".

Some media outside the UK complained that successive British governments had been unduly tolerant towards radicalIslamistmilitants, so long as they were involved in activities outside the UK.Britain's alleged reluctance to extradite or prosecute terrorist suspects resulted in London being dubbed "Londonistan"by French law enforcement in the mid 1990s,the term was popularised by in the UK by columnistMelanie Phillips.

Claims of responsibility

Even before the identity of the bombers became known, former Metropolitan Police commissionerLord Stevenssaid he believed they were almost certainly born or based in Britain, and would not "fit the caricature al-Qaeda fanatic from some backward village in Algeria or Afghanistan".The attacks would have required extensive preparation and prior reconnaissance efforts, and a familiarity with bomb-making and the London transport network as well as access to significant amounts of bomb-making equipment and chemicals.

Some newspaper editorials in Iran blamed the bombing on British or American authorities seeking to further justify theWar on Terror,and claimed that the plan that included the bombings also involved increasing harassment ofMuslims in Europe.

On 13 August, quoting police andMI5sources,The Independentreported that the bombers acted independently of an al-Qaeda terror mastermind some place abroad.

On 1 September, it was reported that al-Qaeda officially claimed responsibility for the attacks in a videotape broadcast by the Arab television network Al Jazeera. However, an official inquiry by the British government reported that the tape claiming responsibility had been edited after the attacks, and that the bombers did not have direct assistance from al-Qaeda.Zabi uk-Taifi, an al-Qaeda commander arrested in Pakistan in January 2009, may have had connections to the bombings, according to Pakistani intelligence sources.More recently, documents found by German authorities on a terrorist suspect arrested in Berlin in May 2011 have suggested thatRashid Rauf,a British al Qaeda operative, played a key role in planning the attacks.

Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades

A second claim of responsibility was posted on the Internet by another al-Qaeda allied group,Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades.The group had, however, previously falsely claimed responsibility for events that were the result of technical problems, such as the2003 London blackoutand the USNortheast blackout of 2003.

Response of Muslim faith groups

Within hours of the bombings, various Islamic religious groups had condemned the attacks and distanced themselves from the perpetrators. SirIqbal Sacranieof theMuslim Council of Britainstated that the perpetrators were not true Muslims as their acts were "contrary" to Islamic beliefs.On 18 July, over 500 British Muslim religious leaders issued afatwa(decree), condemning the bombings and stating that the bombings were against the teachings of Islam. Senior Muslim leaders offered support in counter-terrorism efforts, having met the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary and the Met Police Commissioner SirIan Blair.

Muslim organisations in Europe also condemned the bombings. The imam of thePraguemosque called the bombers "insane" while the Union of Islamic Communities and Organisations in Italy said that "terrorism is incompatible with the doctrine, law and culture of Islam" and expressed its incontrovertible "condemnation of actions that lead to the massacre of innocent people" and its "repugnance" at the "blasphemous use of the Qu’ran".

Effects on Muslim community and hate crimes

In the immediate aftermath of the bombings, there was a sharp temporary rise in faith hate crimes, directed mostly at British Muslims. There were also acts ofarsonagainst mosques as well as Sikh temples.Muslims reported that they felt more anxious about going out in public or to work, in fear of anti-Muslim reprisals by individuals.A British Medical Journal psychological study found that 61 percent of Muslim commuters in London suffered "substantial stress" in the days after the attacks.

According to a book by Chris Allen published in 2005, the British media had before the bombings portrayed Muslims in a highly derogatory way and failed to distinguish between mainstream Muslims and extremist groups. There had also been a growing trend in young British Muslims feeling "alienated" with the British state, fuelled especially by the UK's foreign policy regarding theIraq War.A YouGov poll showed that 88% of British Muslims did not justify the bombings, while 6% did.

There was also some criticism against the government. In 2006, government statements such as the Prime Minister's claim that moderate Muslims were not doing enough to tackle extremists, was met with disapproval byHammasa Kohistani,who called it a "huge stereotype of the Islamic community" that is fuelling hostility.

Conspiracy theories

Police cordon offRussell Squareon 7 July 2005.

A survey of 500 British Muslims undertaken byChannel 4 Newsin 2007 found that 24% believed the four bombers blamed for the attacks did not perform them.

There have been variousconspiracy theoriesproposed about the bombings, including the suggestion that the bombers were 'patsies', based on claims about timings of the trains and the train from Luton, supposed explosions underneath the carriages, and allegations of the faking of the one time-stamped and dated photograph of the bombers at Luton station.Claims made by one theorist in the Internet video7/7 Ripple Effectwere examined by the BBC documentary seriesThe Conspiracy Files,in an episode titled "7/7" first broadcast on 30 June 2009, which debunked many of the video's claims.

On the day of the bombings,Peter Powerof Visor Consultants gave interviews on BBC Radio 5 Live andITVsaying that he was working on a crisis management simulation drill, in theCity of London,"based on simultaneous bombs going off precisely at the railway stations where it happened this morning", when he heard that an attack was going on in real life. He described this as a coincidence. He also gave an interview to theManchester Evening Newswhere he spoke of "an exercise involving mock broadcasts when it happened for real".After a few days he dismissed it as a "spooky coincidence" on Canadian TV.

Alexander Litvinenko,a former officer of Russia'sFederal Security Service,was asked who he thought the culprits of the attacks were, in an interview. Litvinenko stated,"You know, I have spoken about it earlier and I shall say now, that I know only one organization, which has made terrorism the main tool of solving of political problems. It is the Russian special services."

Investigation

Initial results

Numbers of fatalities
Aldgate	7
Edgware Road	6
King's Cross	26
Tavistock Square	13
Total of victims killed	52
Suicide bombers	4
Total fatalities	56

Initially, there was confusing information from sources as to the origin, method, and even timings of the explosions. Forensic examiners had thought initially that military-gradeplastic explosiveshad been used, and, as the blasts were thought to have been simultaneous, that synchronised timed detonators had been employed.These hypotheses changed as more information became available. The explosive was initially identified astriacetone triperoxide,According to a May 2006 report from the British government'sIntelligence and Security Committee,home-made organic peroxide-based devices were used,which was described at the coroner's inquest as an "entirely unique" mixture of concentrated hydrogen peroxide and pepper.

Fifty-six people, including the four suicide bombers, were killed by the attacksand about 700 were injured, of whom about 100 were hospitalised for at least one night. The incident was the deadliest single act of terrorism in the United Kingdom since the 1988 bombing ofPan Am Flight 103,which crashed on Lockerbie and killed 270 people, and the deadliest bombing in London since the Second World War.

Police examined about 2,500 items of CCTV footage andforensic evidencefrom the scenes of the attacks. The bombs were probably placed on the floors of the trains and bus. Investigators identified four men whom they alleged had been the suicide bombers. This made the bombings the first ever suicide attack in the British Isles.

Vincent Cannistraro,former head of theCentral Intelligence Agency's anti-terrorism centre, toldThe Guardianthat "two unexploded bombs" were recovered as well as "mechanical timing devices"; this claim was explicitly rejected by London's Metropolitan Police Service.

Police raids

West Yorkshire Policeraided six properties in the Leeds area on 12 July: two houses in Beeston, two inThornhill,one inHolbeckand one in Alexandra Grove inHyde Park.One man was arrested. Officers also raided a residential property on Northern Road in the Buckinghamshire town ofAylesburyon 13 July.

The police service say a significant amount of explosive material was found in the Leeds raids and acontrolled explosionwas carried out at one of the properties. Explosives were also found in the vehicle associated with one of the bombers, Shehzad Tanweer, at Luton railway station and subjected to controlled explosion.

Luton cell

There was speculation about a possible association between the bombers and another alleged Islamist cell inLutonwhich was ended during August 2004. The Luton group was uncovered afterMuhammad Naeem Noor Khanwas arrested inLahore,Pakistan. His laptop computer was said to contain plans for tube attacks in London, as well as attacks on financial buildings in New York City and Washington, D.C. The group was subject to surveillance but on 2 August 2004The New York Timespublished Khan's name,citing Pakistani sources. The news leak forced police in Britain and Canada to make arrests before their investigations were complete.

When the Luton cell was ended, one of the London bombers, Mohammad Sidique Khan (no known relation), was scrutinised briefly by MI5 who determined that he was not a likely threat and he was not surveilled.

March 2007 arrests

On 22 March 2007, three people were arrested in connection with these bombings. Two were arrested at 1p.m. atManchester Airport,attempting to board a flight bound for Pakistan that afternoon. They were apprehended by undercover officers who had been following the men as part of a surveillance operation. They had not intended to arrest the men that day, but believed they could not risk letting the suspects leave the country. A third man was arrested in the Beeston area of Leeds at an address on the street where one of the suicide bombers had lived before the attacks.

May 2007 arrests

On 9 May 2007, police made four further arrests, three inYorkshireand one inSelly Oak,Birmingham. The widow of the presumed ringleader Mohammed Sidique Khan, was among those arrested for "commissioning, preparing or instigating acts of terrorism".

Three of those arrested, including Khan's widow, were released on 15 May.The fourth, Khalid Khaliq, an unemployed single father of three, was charged on 17 July 2007 with possessing an al-Qaeda training manual, but the charge was not related to the 2005 London attacks. Conviction for possession of a document containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism carried a maximum ten-year jail sentence.

Deportation of Abdullah el-Faisal

Abdullah el-Faisalwas deported to Jamaica, his country of origin, from Britain on 25 May 2006 after reaching the parole date in his prison sentence. He was found guilty of three charges of soliciting the murder of Jews, Americans and Hindus and two charges of using threatening words to incite racial hatred in 2003 and, despite an appeal, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. In 2006John Reidalleged to MPs that el-Faisal had influenced Jamaican-born Briton Germaine Lindsay into participating in the 7/7 bombings.

Investigation of Mohammad Sidique Khan

The Guardianreported on 3 May 2007 that police had investigated Mohammad Sidique Khan twice during 2005. The newspaper said it "learned that on 27 January 2005, police took a statement from the manager of a garage in Leeds which had loaned Khan a courtesy car while his vehicle was being repaired." It also said that "on the afternoon of 3 February an officer fromScotland Yard's anti-terrorism branch carried out inquiries with the company which had insured a car in which Khan was seen driving almost a year earlier ". Nothing about these inquiries appeared in the report by Parliament's intelligence and security committee after it investigated the 7 July attacks. Scotland Yard described the 2005 inquiries as" routine ", while security sources said they were related to the fertiliser bomb plot.

Reports of warnings

While no warnings before 7 July bombings have been documented officially or acknowledged, the following are sometimes quoted as indications either of the events to come or of some foreknowledge.

• One of the London bombers, Mohammad Sidique Khan, was briefly scrutinised by MI5 who determined that he was not a likely threat and he was not put under surveillance.
• Some news stories, current a few hours after the attacks, questioned the British government's contention that there had not been any warning or prior intelligence. It was reported byCBS Newsthat a senior Israeli official said that British police told theIsraeli embassy in Londonminutes before the explosions that they had received warnings of possible terror attacks in the UK capital. An AP report used by a number of news sites, includingThe Guardian,attributed the initial report of a warning to an Israeli "Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity", but added Foreign MinisterSilvan Shalom's later denial onIsrael Defense Forces Radio:"There was no early information about terrorist attacks." A similar report on the site of right-wing Israeli paperIsrael National News/Arutz Shevaattributed the story to "Army Radio quoting unconfirmed reliable sources."Although the report has been retracted, the original stories are still circulated as a result of their presence on the news websites' archives.
• In an interview with the Portuguese newspaperPúblicoa month after the2004 Madrid train bombings,Syrian-born clericOmar Bakri Muhammadwarned that "a very well-organised" London-based group which he called "al-Qaeda Europe" was "on the verge of launching a big operation."In December 2004, Bakri vowed that, if Western governments did not change their policies, Muslims would give them "a 9/11, day after day after day."
• According to a 17 November 2004 post on theNewsweekwebsite, US authorities in 2004 had evidence that terrorists were planning a possible attack in London. In addition, the article stated that, "fears of terror attacks have prompted FBI agents based in theU.S. embassy in Londonto avoid travelling on London's popular underground railway (or tube) system. "
• In an interview published by the German magazineBild am Sonntagdated 10 July 2005,Meir Dagan,director of the Israeli intelligence agencyMossad,said that the agency's office in London was alerted to the impending attack at 8:43a.m., six minutes before the first bomb detonated. The warning of a possible attack was a result of an investigation into an earlier terrorist bombing inTel Aviv,which may have been related to the London bombings.

Anwar al-Awlaki

The Daily Telegraphreported that radical imamAnwar al-Awlakihad inspired the bombers.The bombers transcribed lectures of al-Awlaki while plotting the bombings. His materials were found in the possession of accused accomplices of the suicide bombers. Al-Awlaki was killed by a US drone attack in 2011.

Independent inquest

In 2006, the government refused to hold a public inquiry, stating that "it would be a ludicrous diversion". Prime MinisterTony Blairsaid an independent inquiry would "undermine support" for MI5, while the leader of the opposition,David Cameron,said only a full inquiry would "get to the truth".In reaction to revelations about the extent of security service investigations into the bombers prior to the attack, theShadow Home Secretary,David Davis,said: "It is becoming more and more clear that the story presented to the public andParliamentis at odds with the facts. "

After Cameron became Prime Minister in 2010, an independent coroner's inquest of the bombings began.Lady Justice Hallettwas appointed to hear the inquest, which would consider how each victim died and whether MI5, if it had worked better, could have prevented the attack, and also the emergency service response.

After seven months of evidence and deliberation, the verdict of the inquiry was released and read in the Houses of Parliament on 9 May 2011. It determined that the 52 victims had been unlawfully killed; their deaths could not have been prevented, and they would probably have died "whatever time the emergency services reached and rescued them". Hallett concluded that MI5 had not made every possible improvement since the attacks but that it was not "right or fair" to say more attention should have been paid to ringleader Mohammad Sidique Khan prior to 7 July. She also decided that there should be no public inquiry.

The report provided nine recommendations to various bodies:

1. With reference to a photograph of Khan and Shehzad Tanweer which was so badly cropped by MI5 that the pair was virtually unrecognisable to the US authorities asked to review it, the inquiry recommended that procedures be improved so that humans asked to view photographs are shown them in best possible quality.
2. In relation to the suggestion that MI5 failed to realise the suspects were important quickly enough, the inquiry recommended that MI5 improves the way it records decisions relating to suspect assessment.
3. The inquiry recommended that 'major incident' training for all frontline staff, especially those working on the Underground, is reviewed.
4. With regards to the facts that London Underground (LU) is unable to declare a 'major incident' itself and that LU was not invited to an emergency meeting at Scotland Yard at 10:30a.m. on the morning of the bombings, the inquiry recommends that the wayTransport for London(TfL) and the Londonresilienceteam are alerted to major incidents and the way the emergency services are informed is reviewed.
5. Regarding the confusion on 7 July 2005 over the emergency rendezvous point, it was recommended that a common initial rendezvous point is permanently staffed and advised to emergency services;
6. In response to the evidence that some firefighters refused to walk on the tracks at Aldgate to reach the bombed train because they had not received confirmation that the electric current had been switched off, the inquiry recommended a review into how emergency workers confirm whether the current is off after a major incident.
7. A recommendation was made that TfL reviewed the provision of stretchers andfirst aidequipment at Underground stations.
8. Training of London Ambulance Service (LAS) staff of "multi-casualty triage" should be reviewed, following concerns in the inquest that some casualties were not actually treated by paramedics who had triaged them.
9. A final recommendation was made to theDepartment of Health,theMayor of Londonand the London resilience team to review the capability and funding of emergency medical care in the city.

Alleged newspaper phone hacking

It was reported in July 2011 that relatives of some of the victims of the bombings may have had their telephones accessed by theNews of the Worldin the aftermath of the attacks. The revelations added to an existingcontroversy over phone hackingby the tabloid newspaper.

The fathers of two victims, one in the Edgware Road blast and another at Russell Square, told the BBC that police officers investigating the alleged hacking had warned them that their contact details were found on a target list, while a former firefighter who helped injured passengers escape from Edgware Road also said he had been contacted by police who were looking into the hacking allegations.A number of survivors from the bombed trains also revealed that police had warned them their phones may have been accessed and their messages intercepted, and in some cases officers advised them to change security codes andPINs.

Memorials

Main article:7 July 2005 London bombings memorials and services

People observing a two-minute silence inTrafalgar Squareon the evening of 14 July 2005

The7 July MemorialinHyde Park

Since the bombings, the United Kingdom and other nations have honoured the victims in several ways. Most of these memorials have included moments of silence, candlelit vigils, and the laying of flowers at the attack sites. Foreign leaders have also remembered the dead by ordering their flags to be flown athalf-mast,signing books of condolences at embassies of the UK, and issuing messages of support and condolences to the British people.

United Kingdom

The government ordered theUnion Flagto be flown at half-mast on 8 July.The following day, theBishop of Londonled prayers for the victims during a service paying tribute to the role of women during the Second World War. A vigil, called by theStop the War Coalition,Campaign for Nuclear DisarmamentandMuslim Association of Britain,was held from 5p.m., at Friends Meeting House on Euston Road.

A two-minute silence was held on 14 July 2005 throughout Europe.Thousands attended a vigil at 6p.m. onTrafalgar Square.After an initial silence there was a series of speakers for two hours. A memorial service was held atSt Paul's Cathedralon 1 November 2005.To mark the first anniversary of the attack, a two-minute silence was observed at midday across the country.

Apermanent memorial was unveiledin 2009 byCharles, Prince of WalesinHyde Parkto mark the fourth anniversary of the bombings.On the eve of the ninth anniversary of the attacks in 2014 the memorial was defaced with messages including "Blair lied, thousands died". The graffiti was removed within hours.

During theopening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Gamesin London a minute's silence was held to commemorate those killed in the attacks.

A memorial service was held in St. Paul's Cathedral on 7 July 2015, to mark the tenth anniversary of the bombings. This was broadcast on BBC One.

International

US PresidentGeorge W. Bushvisited theBritish embassythe day after the bombings, upon his return from the G8 summit in Scotland, and signed a book of condolence.In Washington, D.C., the US Army band played "God Save the Queen"(the British national anthem, the melody of which is also used in an American patriotic hymn,"My Country, 'Tis of Thee"), a suggestion that US Army veteran John Miska made to Vice Chief of Staff General Cody, outside the British embassy in the city.A similar tribute had been made by the Queen in the days following theSeptember 11 attacksin 2001 where theStar Spangled Bannerplayed at Buckingham Palace'sChanging the Guard.On 12 July, aDetroit Symphony Orchestrabrass ensemble played the British national anthem during the pre-game festivities of theMajor League Baseball All-Star GameatComerica Parkin Detroit.

Flags were ordered to fly at half-mast across Australia, New Zealandand Canada.The Union Flag was raised to half-mast alongside theFlag of AustraliaonSydney Harbour Bridgeas a show of "sympathy between nations".

Moments of silence were observed in theEuropean Parliament,thePolish parliamentand by theIrish parliamenton 14 July. The British national anthem was played at the changing of theRoyal GuardatPlaza de Orientein Madrid in memorial to the victims of the attacks. The ceremony was attended by the British ambassador to Spain and members of theSpanish Royal Family.After the2004 Madrid train bombings,the UK had hosted a similar ceremony atBuckingham Palace.

Planned anniversary attack

Mohammed Rehman and Sana Ahmed Khan were sentenced to life imprisonment on 29 December 2015 for preparing an act of terrorism, planning to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the 7/7 attacks.They had 10kg ofurea nitrate.Rehman called himself the 'silent bomber' and asked his Twitter followers to choose betweenWestfield Londonor theLondon Undergroundfor the planned suicide bomb.

See also

• Death of Jean Charles de Menezes
• Gill Hicks—Australian motivational speaker, author and curator, who had both legs amputated below the knee as a result of the bombings
• Martine Wright—Paralympic athlete who lost both her legs while travelling to work during one of the bombings
• List of Islamist terrorist attacks

References

• EUMC (2005).The impact of 7 July 2005 London bomb attacks on Muslim communities in the EU(PDF).European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia.

Further reading

Books

• Ali, Tariq(2005).Rough Music: Blair, Bombs, Baghdad, London, Terror.London: Verso Books.ISBN978-1-844675-456.OCLC61731307.

Official reports

• Greater London Authority report(Archived3 August 2009 at theWayback Machine) (PDF)
• House of Commons report(Archived3 August 2009 at theWayback Machine) (PDF)
• Intelligence and Security Committee report – May 2006(Archived3 August 2009 at theWayback Machine(PDF)
• Intelligence and Security Committee report – May 2009(PDF)

Medical report

• The account of the doctor leading the team at the scene of the Tavistock Square bus bomb(Archived3 November 2005 at theWayback Machine). Retrieved 11 August 2005.

Radio broadcasts

• The Jon Gaunt showoriginally broadcast live at 9:00a.m. on 7 July 2005 onBBC London.First mention of events at approximately 27 minutes into the broadcast.

Photos

• Images of the victims(Archived9 July 2010 at theWayback Machine)
• Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet writes about posters honouring the terrorists(Archived19 September 2009 at theWayback Machine)

External links

• Official inquest transcripts
• 2016BBC Newsinterviewwith the brother-in-law of Mohammad Sidique Khan