7 July 2005 London bombings (symbolic conspiracy)

7 July 2005 London bombings

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

“7/7” redirects here. For the calendar date, see 7 July.

7 July 2005 London bombings
Emergency vehicles at Russell Square
Location	London, England
Date	7 July 2005, 8:50 am–9:47 am (GMT)
Target	Transport in London
Attack type	Suicide bombings
Death(s)	56 (including 4 suicide bombers)
Injured	around 700
Belligerent(s)	Hasib Hussain, Mohammad Sidique Khan, Germaine Lindsay, Shehzad Tanweer

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 Muslim men, three of British Pakistani and one of British Jamaican descent, who were motivated by the teachings of Osama Bin Ladin, opposition to British support of Saudi Arabia, and anger of 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 appear to have been caused by home-made organic peroxide-based devices, packed into rucksacks and detonated by the bombers themselves, all four of whom died. 52 other people were killed and around 700 were injured.

Contents [show] 1 Attacks 1.1 On the Underground 1.2 On the bus 2 The bombers 2.1 Profiles 2.2 Videotaped statements 3 Investigation 3.1 Initial results 3.2 Raids 3.3 Luton cell 3.4 March 2007 arrests 3.5 May 2007 arrests 3.6 Deportation of Sheikh Abdullah el-Faisal 3.7 Investigation of Mohammad Sidique Khan 3.8 Reports of warnings 3.9 Anwar al-Awlaki 4 Effects and response 4.1 Initial reports 4.2 Security alerts 4.3 Transport and telecoms disruption 4.4 Economic impact 4.5 Media response 4.6 Claims of responsibility 4.6.1 Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades 4.7 Conspiracy theories 5 21 July 2005 bombings 6 Memorials 6.1 United Kingdom 6.2 International 6.2.1 Condolence books 6.2.2 Flag half-staffing 6.2.3 Moments of silence 6.2.4 Services 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading

//

[edit] Attacks

2005 London bombings Main articles Timeline of the 2005 London bombings 7 July 2005 London bombings 21 July 2005 London bombings Jean Charles de Menezes Response to the 2005 London bombings Bombers, 7 July Mohammad Sidique Khan  · Shehzad Tanweer Germaine Lindsay  · Hasib Hussain Bombers, 21 July Yasin Hassan Omar  · Osman Hussain Muktar Said Ibrahim  · Ramzi Mohammed Locations London Underground Aldgate  · Tavistock Square King’s Cross  · Liverpool Street · Oval Russell Square  · Shepherd’s Bush Warren Street Related articles September 11, 2001 attacks 2001 shoe bomb plot 2002 Bali bombings 2003 Mike’s Place bombing 2004 Madrid train bombings 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot 2007 London car bombs 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack 2008 Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing Saajid Badat  · Richard Reid Attacks on the London Underground This box: view • talk • edit

[edit] On the Underground

Further information: Timeline of the 2005 London bombings and Attacks on the London Underground

08:50 — Three bombs on the London Underground exploded within fifty seconds of each other:

• The first bomb exploded on an eastbound Circle LineLiverpool 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. sub-surface Underground train, number 204, travelling between
• 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,^[1]Hammersmith & City line train that had just arrived at platform 1. along with a wall that later collapsed. There were two other trains at Edgware Road: an unidentified train on platform 2, and a southbound
• The third bomb exploded on a southbound Piccadilly lineKing’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.^[2] The surrounding tunnel also sustained damage. deep-level Underground train, number 311, travelling between

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.^[3] The effects of the bombs are thought to have varied due to the differing characteristics of the tunnels.^[4]

1. 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.
2. The Piccadilly Line is a deep tunnel, up to 30 m (100 ft) underground, with narrow (3.56 m, or 11 ft 8¼ in) single-track tubes and just 15 cm (6 in) clearances. This confined space reflected the blast force, concentrating its effect.