21 July 2005 London bombings

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2005 London bombings
Overview Timeline
7 July 2005
Details Casualties
Response Memorials
Locations
Liverpool Street
to Aldgate
(Circle Line)
King's Cross
to Russell Square
(Piccadilly Line)
Edgware Road
(Circle Line)
Tavistock Square
(bus)
21 July 2005
Details
Locations
Shepherd's Bush
(H&C Line)
Warren Street
(Victoria Line)
Oval
(Northern Line)
Bethnal Green
(bus)

On 21 July 2005, four attempted bomb attacks disrupted part of London's public transport system two weeks after the 7 July 2005 London bombings. The explosions occurred around midday at Shepherd's Bush, Warren Street and Oval stations on London Underground, and on a bus in Bethnal Green. It has been reported that a fifth bomber dumped his device without attempting to set it off [1].

Connecting lines and stations were closed and evacuated. Metropolitan Police later said the intention was to cause large-scale loss of life, but only the detonators of the bombs exploded, probably causing the popping sounds reported by witnesses, and no one was injured. The bombers escaped; subsequent arrests the same day were later described by police as "totally unconnected" with the explosions.

The following day, Friday 22 July, the London Metropolitan Police shot and killed a man later found to have no involvement with the explosions, and not connected to any criminal group. He was identified as Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian electrician. He had arrived in Britain on a tourist visa, and then remained on a student visa, but according to the Home Office this had expired over two years before his death. An inquest into the shooting was opened on 25 July.

Also on Friday 22 July, CCTV images of four suspects wanted in connection with the bombings were released [2]. Two of the men shown in these images were identified by police on Monday 25 July as Muktar Said Ibrahim and Yasin Hassan Omar [3]. A manhunt, described by the Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Ian Blair as "the largest ever investigation that the Met has ever mounted" was started [4].

By 29 July, police had arrested all four of the main bombing suspects from the 21 July attempted bombings. Yasin Hassan Omar was arrested by police on 27 July, in Birmingham. On 29 July, two more suspects were reported as having been arrested in London, and a fourth suspect, Osman Hussein, was reported as having been arrested in Rome, Italy. According to these reports, all four known suspected bombers have now been arrested, although police are still looking for other possible gang members [5], [6]. Police have also arrested numerous other people in the course of their investigations.

By 8 August, charges had been brought against the three bombing suspects held in UK custody.

Timings in this article are approximate and in BST.

Contents

Explosions

Explosions on the Underground

Locations of the explosions, overlaid onto a map of the London Underground
Enlarge
Locations of the explosions, overlaid onto a map of the London Underground

The explosions were small – only about as powerful as a large firework – and only one injury was reported.

In response to the blasts, the stations were all evacuated and a number of other stations including Archway in North London, Moorgate, St. Paul's in the City and Green Park in the West End were also cleared. Many parts of the London Underground system including the Victoria Line, Northern Line, Hammersmith and City Line, Bakerloo Line and Piccadilly Line were suspended.

Some eyewitnesses reported a "strange smell", described by some as resembling burning rubber, emanating from the Underground stations. Some early reports seem to be suggesting that the smell preceded the bang by several minutes. It appears that people on a train smelt a strange odour, and realised something was wrong. They ran from one carriage to another while the train was still moving and then heard an explosion behind them.

Eyewitnesses at the scenes reported seeing men running away from the site of the explosions, and there were unconfirmed suggestions that one of the bombers had been injured. According to the RMT union, which represents Underground staff, the suspect used a handgun in a failed attempt to detonate explosives contained in a backpack.

Explosion on a double-decker bus

Casualties

Although the emergency services were quickly mobilised, it became clear that the small size of the explosions had prevented any significant casualties. Authorities have stated that the only casualty resulted from an asthma attack. (Guardian)

Early suspicion of chemical attacks

Some eyewitnesses reported a "strange smell" at the scene of some of the attempted attacks and some reported seeing a white powder near the rucksacks containing the suspected bombs. As is normal in such situations, firefighters in chemical protection gear conducted tests for chemical agents before declaring the scenes free of any unconventional weapons. Police have since confirmed that the devices used by the would-be bombers were entirely conventional chemical explosives.

A number of theories have been advanced for the presence of the unusual smells. They could possibly have resulted from the burning or smouldering (but not detonation) of the bombs' explosives, or they could possibly have come directly from the explosives themselves. The explosive thought to have been used in the 7 July bombings, TATP, is notoriously unstable and emits a distinctive smell as it sublimates.

It was reported that one of the 7 July suspects, Jamal (Germaine) Lindsay, had bought £900 worth of perfumes immediately before the bombings, possibly to disguise the acrid smell of the decomposing explosives. As regards the white powder reported by some witnesses, TATP has the appearance of a white crystalline powder. An eyewitnesses did mention that as one of the explosions occurred there was a "smell of vinegar" which could be attributed to combustion byproducts of the explosive TATP.

Subsequent incidents

21 July

University College Hospital (UCH)

University College Hospital, near Warren Street, was cordoned off at 14:30 BST, reportedly by armed police. Eyewitnesses reported seeing three police officers armed with submachine guns entering the building.

Both CNN and The Times [7] reported that the armed police at University College Hospital were pursuing a suspected bomber who fled into the building following a chase on foot down Tottenham Court Road. Witnesses reported shots being fired as the man led police on the chase from Warren Street tube station. Police say the "gunshots" may have actually been detonators going off.

An internal memo at the hospital told employees to look for a tall man with wires protruding from his clothing. The memo reportedly described the suspect as "a black male, possibly of Asian origin, about 6ft 2ins (188 cm) tall, wearing a blue top with wires protruding from the rear of the top" (Sky News). The BBC spoke to Prof Jim Ryan of UCH, who said he had not seen any such memo and dismissed the idea as "absolute rumour" (BBC News). A BBC reporter, however, said that he had been given a copy of an email sent to staff asking them to look for the suspect (BBC News).

Later in the afternoon police said they had ended their armed operation at the hospital, but returned 30 minutes later. A Scotland Yard spokesman told the BBC: "We've got our armed deployment at UCH but we can't discuss it further." (BBC News). There were conflicting reports on whether the redeployment was related to the bombings. CNN reported that sources told them police had returned to conduct a manhunt inside the building, but police said the deployment was unrelated to the explosions.

The first arrests

At 15:30, around two hours after the explosions, a major security alert occurred in Whitehall outside the Ministry of Defence during which a man was arrested by armed police. The man was ordered to lie on the pavement before being handcuffed and arrested, about 20 metres from Downing Street. He was also ordered to open his jacket and shirt before being taken by the police, presumably to allow police to see any hidden explosives that may have been on his person. He did not appear to be carrying any bags, and did not seem to be wearing a belt, although it was very hard for the reporter to see. The BBC are reporting (and television coverage showed) that he was wearing a small black backpack which the police had him remove before undoing his shirt.

Two other people were also arrested: one in the Whitehall area, and one near Tottenham Court Road, according to the BBC. But all were later released without any charges being brought against them.

According to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, the two arrests in Whitehall were "totally unconnected" to the earlier explosions.

Other security alerts

A security alert was declared, mid-afternoon, at St Albans Thameslink Station, north of London. The station was closed and the surrounding area evacuated following the discovery of an unattended backpack. A number 37 bus (Putney to Peckham) was also cordoned off after a suspect package was discovered [8]. These incidents are both believed to be bomb scares.

22 July

Death of Jean Charles de Menezes

Main article: Jean Charles de Menezes

Police shot and killed Brazilian man, Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell tube station shortly after 10:00 on 22 July. Officers had pursued de Menezes from a location under surveillance (for possibly being linked to the July 7 Bombings) onto a train at Stockwell Station. They apparently believed de Menezes, who was claimed to be wearing a heavy jacket – later shown to be an ordinary denim jacket – was a possible suicide bomber.

Police later confirmed he was not related to the bombing incidents and issued an apology, saying that "For somebody to lose their life in such circumstances is a tragedy and one that the Metropolitan Police Service regrets."(BBC News). Mr de Menezes was shot eight times, seven in the head at close range while pinned to the ground. He died at the scene.

Services on the Victoria Line between Victoria and Brixton and on the Northern Line between Kennington and Morden were suspended at the request of the police (BBC News, BBC News (rolling coverage)).

Security alerts

Sky and BBC News reported that the East London Mosque on Whitechapel Road in Whitechapel had been surrounded by armed police and that residents were told to stay indoors. The Mosque was evacuated at about 10:30 and searched. However, police confirmed that it was a bomb scare and the all-clear was given after just over an hour. (Sky News).

Security Alerts continued into the weekend, with major disruption to London's Transport System.

23 July

A fifth bomb

On 23 July, a suspect package was found in bushes in Little Wormwood Scrubs, just north of White City and Shepherd's Bush. It was subjected to a controlled explosion and appears to have been a further bomb made to the same design as the others used on 21 July. This led to speculation that a fifth bomber might be at large [9]. Scotland Yard stated that they were looking for more than just the four men caught on CCTV [10], and by 29 July five suspected bombers had been arrested.

Like other devices used on 21 July, the device was packed into a six-and-a-quarter litre clear plastic food container with a white lid, manufactured by Delta of India. There are only 100 outlets selling such containers across the UK. The police have made an appeal to retailers who may have sold five or more in the last few months [11].

Investigation

It was immediately apparent that the explosions were the result of a terrorist attack, but it was initially unclear whether the explosions were a serious attempt to repeat the 7 July bombings or were merely a symbolic attack or hoax intended to cause panic rather than mass casualties. It was later confirmed that substantial improvised explosive devices capable of causing significant numbers of casualties had in fact been involved, but had failed to explode. The explosions were caused by detonators which failed to ignite the larger devices. Police later disclosed that some of the devices used had survived the explosions, providing a major boost for forensic investigators (BBC News).

Relationship to the 7 July bombings

Both sets of bombings involved three Underground trains and a bus; in both cases rucksacks were involved; and in both cases the three Underground explosions were roughly simultaneous while the bus explosion was an hour later. Moreover, in both cases the four explosion locations were dispersed around central London in such a way that they could be reasonably said to have occurred "in the north, south, east, and west," recalling the wording of several terrorist manifestos.

Not all the tube stations targeted on 21 July were below ground. Shepherd's Bush (Hammersmith & City) station is above ground, can receive mobile signals, and is within sight and earshot of the BBC Television Centre.

It has been widely speculated that the 21 July bombings were the work of members of the same Islamist terrorist cell that carried out the 7 July bombings. Given that they were remarkably unsuccessful, however, some think that they are more probably explained as copycat attacks.

The reason for the apparent failure of the bombs is as yet unknown, but it has been suggested that they may have been assembled from the stockpile of explosives discovered in Leeds following the 7 July attacks. Many types of explosive material (particularly home-made varieties) are chemically unstable, and it is possible that the explosives used on 21 July had deteriorated to a point where they were incapable of exploding.

It was later reported that three of the four devices were of similar size and weight to those used on 7 July, with the fourth being housed in a smaller plastic box; all were said to have used the same type of explosive (BBC News).

Claims of responsibility

Late Thursday night, a group calling itself the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigade, after a nickname for one of Osama bin Laden's lieutenants who was killed in a 2001 airstrike in Afghanistan, posted a statement claiming responsibility for the attempted bombings. The group vowed that the terror would continue as long as Europe's soldiers were in Iraq. The group also claimed responsibility for the 7 July 2005 London bombings, the 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings, and the 2003 North America blackout. Experts doubt the legitimacy of the group, as security experts have discredited the claims of the Madrid attack, and investigators have ruled out sabotage as a cause of the blackout. In its statement, the group cited Rome, Amsterdam and Copenhagen as future targets. However, the group has made threats in the past that it has failed to carry out (Reuters).

Suspects and later arrests

Several individuals were reported to have been arrested on 22 July in connection with the bombings, including one man in Stockwell — the area where the shooting incident took place — and another man at a Snow Hill railway station in the city of Birmingham who was soon released without charge. The former may be among the individuals seen running away from the scenes of the incidents who were caught on CCTV footage. Police released images of people they wished to question with regards to the attempted bombings captured from London transport CCTV cameras. The general public was alerted not to approach the men, but instead to call 999 if they see them, or 0800 789 321 if they have any other information about the individuals.

Ramzi Mohammed at Oval
Yasin Hassan Omar at Warren Street
Enlarge
Yasin Hassan Omar at Warren Street
Osman Hussain at Westbourne Park
Enlarge
Osman Hussain at Westbourne Park
Muktar Said Ibrahim on Number 26 bus
Enlarge
Muktar Said Ibrahim on Number 26 bus

On 25 July, two of the suspects were named by police as Yasin Hassan Omar and Muktar Said Ibrahim (also known as Muktar Mohammed Said)[12]. Yasin Hassan Omar is suspected of trying to detonate the device at Warren Street tube station and Muktar Said Ibrahim is suspected of trying to detonate the device on the bus [13]. The Home Office has stated that both men have legally been resident for at least ten years [14]. Muktar Said Ibrahim had apparently been receiving housing benefit.

On Wednesday 27 July, police arrested Omar in Birmingham [15]. A suspect package was found in the course of his arrest. Three further arrests were also made in Birmingham.

Major police raids occurred in west London on 29 July. It has been reported that a further two of the pictured suspects, Muktar Said Ibrahim and Ramzi Mohammed, were arrested in the course of these raids, while the Shepherd's Bush suspect - Osman Hussain - was arrested in Rome that day.[16] The men arrested in London were apparently the suspects wanted in connection with the Oval tube and bus bombing attempts, and the man arrested in Rome is the Shepherd's Bush suspect.[17]. A European Arrest Warrant for Osman Hussain has been issued by the Metropolitan Police, so that he can be transferred to the UK as soon as possible. In addition the suspected fifth bomber Whabi Mohammad, 22, the brother of Ramzi Mohammad, was also under arrest by 28 July. (BBC)

Charges

On the 7th August 2005, Yasin Hassan Omar, Muktar Said Ibrahim, and Ramzi Mohammed were charged with attempting to murder passengers and being in possession of an explosive substance. Along with a fourth man, Manfo Kwaku Asiedu, they were also charged with conspiring to murder passengers. (BBC)

House raids

Some information in this article or section may be out of date, and is requested to be updated.

In the afternoon of 22 July, house raids were conducted on Harrow Road in West London (approximately a mile from Paddington railway station). The road was cordoned off by armed police and some eyewitnesses reported seeing a bomb-disabling robot.

On 25 July police announced that they had raided a property in north London [18]. The property was a council flat in Curtis House, Ladderswood Way, New Southgate in which Yasin Hassan Omar had been living since 1999. No arrests were made in the raid although two men have been arrested in the area. Later reports suggested that explosives may have been found at the raided address [19].

The BBC has a summary of raids to date [20].

Major raids were carried out by the police on 29 July in the Notting Hill and North Kensington areas of West London. Three people were arrested during these raids, including two of the suspects who are thought to have carried out the failed 21 July 2005 London bombings attempt. (see Wikinews article).

Seized vehicles

On 26 July it was reported that police had seized a vehicle abandoned in East Finchley, north London. The BBC reported that the vehicle was a white VW Golf which was not owned by any of the suspects but which was thought to have been used by them [21].

Individuals charged or held by police

This article or section is out of date, and needs to be updated.


As of 8 August the following people have been charged in relation to the 21 July or 7 July bombing attempts:

  • Charged with association with the aim of international terrorism and with possessing false documents in Italy:
  • Charged with conspiracy to murder London transport passengers, possessing an explosive substance and attempting to murder passengers:
  • Charged with conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions likely to endanger life or cause serious injury:
  • Charged with failing to disclose information that may help police investigating an act of terrorism:
  • Charged with failing to disclose information about suspected Shepherd's Bush bomber Hussain Osman:
    • Ismael Abdurahman, remanded in custody until 11 August.
  • Charged with assisting a person or persons in evading arrest:

As of 8 August, the following individuals were being held by police in relation to the 21 July or 7 July bombing attempts [23]:

As of 8 August, the following individuals had been released from custody after being held by police in relation to the 21 July or 7 July bombing attempts [24]:

BBC summary of position as at 8 August.

Objectives and Iraq connection

During the initial investigation in Rome, Hussain said he was motivated to participate in the attacks after viewing videos of war-torn Iraq. "I am against war," Osman said "I've marched in peace rallies and nobody listened to me. I never thought of killing people." He explained that the bombs were never meant to detonate or kill anybody, only to draw attention to the Iraq war.[25]

Other news sources reported that the bombers watched videos of British and American troops killing women and children in Iraq before embarking on their mission. [26] Some quoted him as saying "Muktar showed us some DVDs with images of the war in Iraq, especially women and children killed by American and British soldiers," Hussain said, adding that they were not to talk about these videos with others[27]

"There was a feeling of hatred and conviction that it was necessary to give signal — to do something." Hussain denied links with either the Al-Qaeda or the July 7 bombers [28].

Response and advice

Prime Minister Tony Blair, Home Secretary Charles Clarke, and other ministers and key officials from government and the emergency services attended a meeting in COBR. Blair interrupted a meeting with Prime Minister of Australia John Howard to attend a COBR meeting, although he and Howard later gave a joint news conference. (Howard was also in Washington, D.C., at the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks.) Whitehall, the main artery serving the governmental district, was initially sealed off and evacuated, but was reopened at 14:45. It was subsequently closed again around 15:25 following an arrest and a bomb scare, both of which were fairly quickly resolved.

Sir Ian Blair, the Met police chief, described the incident as "serious" but said that there were "fewer injuries", caused by bombs that appeared to be "much smaller than those used on July 7th".

The police advised people to stay where they were and not travel unless absolutely necessary. However, people living within a 300 metre radius of the bomb sites were evacuated, due to worries about chemical agents being used. By about 16:00, however, Sir Ian Blair described the situation as "firmly under control" and urged London "to get ... moving again".

In the United States, the Pentagon raised its security level in response to the attacks. In addition, New York City Police announced that they would begin randomly searching backpacks on the New York City Subway system [29] though they have said that this move has been under consideration before the events in London.

According to the Evening Standard, London's main local newspaper, stranded commuters and evacuated locals in Shepherd's Bush held an impromptu street party during the evening of 21 July, in the vicinity of the crime scene, which lasted until the early morning. Music was provided by a peace activism group, and several photographs of this appeared in London's local press the following day.

Impact on public transport

In contrast to 7 July there was not a complete shutdown of the London Underground system and parts of the network continued to operate.

All other London Underground lines operated as they were before the incidents. The Bakerloo and Piccadilly closures were reportedly due to train drivers refusing to work, rather than because of incidents on the lines (BBC News). All lines reopened the following day except the Hammersmith & City Line which remained suspended. The affected stations remained closed. A realtime updated map, detailing the current state of disruption, can be found at here.

St Pancras railway station was closed because of a security alert at St Albans, which caused all Midland Mainline trains to and from London to be cancelled. Thameslink trains from the south terminated at Radlett and from the north at Harpenden. With Moorgate station closed the Northern City Line operated by WAGN was also severely disrupted, with trains initially getting no further south than Alexandra Palace, and then a partial restoration of service with trains normally going to and from Moorgate using King's Cross instead.

See also

External links

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