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On Thursday 7 July 2005, a series of four bomb explosions struck London's transport system during the morning rush hour. Three London Underground trains were hit almost simultaneously, and a London Bus was hit almost one hour later. Initially, the death toll was reported as 37, but by the next day, the death toll had risen to at least 50 people, with the number of injured reported as high as 700 (with 22 of these in a serious or critical condition).

The incidents led to the complete shutdown of the London Underground network and the closure of many roads near the affected stations. Mainline train services into many London stations terminated outside the city for most of the day, and the city's bus network was shut down in the central zone (Zone 1).

Metropolitan Police Service Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said that explosions were probably the result of a "major terrorist attack" but did not speculate on any group or groups involved. The bombings came while the UK hosted the first full day of the 31st G8 summit at Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, and a day after London was chosen to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

The incident was the deadliest single act of terrorism in the United Kingdom since the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie (in which 270 people died).

Bombings

A few hours after the bombings, Home Secretary Charles Clarke told the House of Commons that four blasts had been confirmed: three explosions took place on the London Underground in central London and one on a double-decker bus during London's rush hour. In press conferences over the next few days, Police authorities clarified the situation bit by bit as more details were determined. Each explosion, they believed, was caused by an improvised explosive device comprising up to 4 kilograms (10 pounds) of high explosive, placed on the floors of the train carriages and bus. They were reasonably confident that the London Underground attacks had been detonated by timers; the bus attack was less certain — although certainly not strapped to a person's body, it remains unclear whether it, like the tube bombs, had been on a timer; had intentionally been set off by suicide bomber; or had perhaps been accidentally detonated while being transported. No concrete evidence has yet been found to point towards any of these possibilities.

Two more suspicious packages were found on underground trains and were destroyed using controlled explosions. Police later said they turned out not to be bombs.

Attacks on the Underground

• 08:50 Three bombs in the London Underground explode within fifty seconds of each other
  • One bomb explodes on a Circle Line sub-surface underground train number 204 eastbound between Liverpool Street and Aldgate. The explosion took place 100 yards into the tunnel on the third carriage of the train.
  • A second bomb explodes on the second carriage of a Circle Line sub-surface underground train number 216 westbound at Edgware Road. The explosion on the train destroys a wall separating two tunnels causing the wall to collapse onto a train on an adjoining platform.
  • A third bomb explodes on a Piccadilly Line deep-level underground train number 311 southbound between King's Cross St. Pancras and Russell Square. The explosion took place on the first carriage of the train by the first set of double doors, causing severe damage to the surrounding tunnel as well.

There were fewer explosions than first thought, since some blasts occurred on trains that were between stations. In such cases, the wounded emerged from both stations, giving the impression that there was an incident at each station. Police also revised the timings of the tube blasts, after initial reports indicated that they had occurred over a period of almost half an hour. The synchronicity of the explosions could be said to further reinforce the theory that the devices were either set to a timer or called in by mobile phone (like the Madrid train bombings).

The effects of the bombs on the trains are thought to have varied due to the differing characteristics of the Underground network's tunnels. The central portion of the network comprises two types of tunnels:

• Sub-surface lines (e.g. the Circle Line) – these lines are only a short distance underground, up to about 7 m (21 ft), and are constructed by excavating a trench and roofing it over ("cut and cover"). The sub-surface tunnels are relatively wide with two parallel tracks. The explosions on the Circle Line were likely to have been able to vent out into the tunnel, probably lessening the number of casualties.

• Deep lines (e.g. the Piccadilly Line) – these lines can be over 30 m (approximately 100 ft) underground and are single-track circular tubes into which trains fit with only a narrow clearance on all sides. The Piccadilly Line tunnel is only 3.5m (11 ft) wide with clearances of only 15 cm (6 in). The blast was thus likely to have been much more concentrated, probably explaining the higher death toll on the Piccadilly Line train.

Attack on a double-decker bus

• 09:47 — An explosion occurs on a No. 30 double-decker bus travelling its route from Marble Arch to Hackney. At the time of the explosion the bus was following a planned diversion from its normal route and travelling through Tavistock Square. The explosion ripped the roof off the top deck of the vehicle and destroyed the back of the bus.

The detonation took place close to the British Medical Association (BMA) building on Upper Woburn Place, and a number of doctors in the building were able to provide immediate emergency medical assistance. BBC Radio 5 and The Sun newspaper later reported that two injured bus passengers said that they saw a man exploding in the bus. One passenger who disembarked from the bus at the stop prior to the explosion reported seeing an agitated young man who kept dipping into his bag every few moments, giving an indication of a possible intentional suicide bombing. It has been suggested that this may have represented a bomber realising that his device was about to explode prematurely.

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 surprisingly intact. Most of the passengers at the front of the top deck are believed to have survived, as did those on the lower deck including the driver, but those at the top rear 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. A number of passers-by were also injured by the explosion and surrounding buildings were damaged by fragments.

Casualties

Senior official sources have confirmed that more than 50 people have been killed. However, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ian Blair told reporters that the authorities were having "great difficulty" determining the death toll as at least one blast site remains inaccessible to the police.

At least 90 injuries were reported from Aldgate Station alone. Ninety-five of the injured were taken to the Royal London Hospital where they were treated; 17 were in critical condition. Many others were being treated at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington. Individuals who were wounded and walking were treated at the scene; an eyewitness reported that they were "operating on injured people on the concourse at Liverpool Street station."

Paramedics were sent down into the tube system to search for more casualties. St. John Ambulance was called out to assist the London Ambulance Service, and hospitals had to call in off-duty staff, plus doctors from as far afield as Hampshire and Oxfordshire. The ticket hall and waiting area of Kings Cross station was used as a temporary hospital for the victims of the Piccadilly Line explosion. Air ambulances were used extensively to provide rapid transportation of specialist medics to the scenes of the explosions. A number of London buses were also used to transport the "walking wounded" to hospital.

At a press conference on 8 July it was revealed that of 700 people injured in the explosions, 350 were treated on the spot, 350 people (208 at Royal London Hospital alone ) were treated in hospital and 100 of them were kept in hospital overnight. 22 were in a serious or critical condition, and one person subsequently died. Many of the injured were foreign nationals, including people from Sierra Leone, Australia, South Africa, Portugal, Poland and China, causing some language difficulties in the hospitals. When investigators fully clear the rubble and debris at the site of each explosions, the final death count can be known - estimates currently vary widely.

Investigation

Police are examining CCTV footage and forensic evidence from the scenes of the attacks, looking for, among other things, DNA evidence.

In a press conference at 11:00 on 8 July, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair revealed that each of the four bombs probably consisted of less than ten pounds of high explosive, probably placed on the floor of the trains, and either on the floor or on a seat of the bus. Police Commissioner Blair also reported that there was no evidence that the bombings were suicide attacks.

Initial reports: power surge

The first reports suggested that a power surge in the Underground power grid had caused explosions in power circuits. However, this was later ruled out by the National Grid, the power suppliers. Commentators suggested that the explanation had arisen because of bomb damage to power lines along the tracks; the rapid series of power failures caused by the explosions 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. Other commentators have suggested that the 'power surge' explanation was deliberately suggested by transport authorities in order to minimise commuter panic - and enable the tube network to be cleared of passengers safely.

One eyewitness reported:

I was in the midst of this when it happened. The Metropolitan line was halted, then the Jubilee. The train driver announced a "power surge on the combine", which is probably a prearranged message to prevent panic in an emergency. Trains were then brought into the nearest station and the passengers requested to evacuate. The tube staff were very calm and efficient, and I didn't see any panic. There was definitely a sense that something unusual had happened, and people were mostly silent as we filed out to the sound of recorded evacuation messages.

The London Metropolitan Police Chief, Sir Ian Blair, stated within a couple of hours of the explosions that he believed that they were "probably a major terrorist attack". He also indicated that police had found indications of explosives at one of the blast sites, though he would not speculate on who might have carried out the attack.

Claim of responsibility

At around 11:10 UTC 7 July, BBC News reported that a website known to be operated by associates of al-Qaeda had been located with a 200-word statement claiming responsibility for the attacks. The newsmagazine Der Spiegel in Germany and BBC Monitoring both reported that a group named "Secret Organization—al-Qaeda in Europe" had posted an announcement claiming responsibility on the al-Qal3ah ("The Castle") Internet forum. The announcement claims the attacks are a response due to the British involvement in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. The letter also warned other governments involved in Iraq (mentioning specifically Denmark and Italy) to withdraw troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. A Saudi commentator in London, however, noted that the statement was grammatically poor, and that a Qur'anic quotation was incorrect.

The attacks bear similarities to the 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings and suggest an attack in the style of al-Qaeda. Budapest-based security analyst Sebestyén Gorka told the Reuters wire service that "the first thing that's very obvious is the synchronized nature of the attacks, and that's pretty classic for Al-Qaeda or organizations related to al-Qaeda."

Al-Qaeda involvement is considered likely, as it follows their pattern:

• Bombs were detonated nearly simultaneously;
• No warnings were given by the perpetrators;
• The bombs were detonated early in the day to catch the news; and
• The bombs were detonated at a time and location designed to inflict maximum death and injury to a civilian population.

According to former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Stevens, the bombers were almost certainly born or based in Britain. 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 high-grade explosives. The most likely suspects are said to be individuals who had been to the al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan prior to 2001. As many as 3,000 British born or based people are thought to have been trained in the camps and may since have trained others.

Translated statement

On 7 July, a person using the name "Nur al-Iman" and identified as a "new guest," posted to Qal3ah with a statement issued by "The Secret Organisation Group of Al-Qaeda of Jihad Organisation in Europe." In the statement, the group claims responsibility for the London "raid." The following is a translated text of the statement:

In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, may peace be upon the cheerful one and undaunted fighter, Prophet Muhammad, God's peace be upon him.

Nations of Islam and Arab nations: Rejoice, for it is time to take revenge against the British Zionist crusader government in retaliation for the massacres Britain is committing in Iraq and Afghanistan. The heroic mujahideen have carried out a blessed raid in London. Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern, and western quarters.

We have repeatedly warned the British government and people. We have fulfilled our promise and carried out our blessed military raid in Britain after our mujahideen exerted strenuous efforts over a long period of time to ensure the success of the raid.

We continue to warn the governments of Denmark and Italy and all the crusader governments that they will be punished in the same way if they do not withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. He who warns is excused.

God says: "If ye will aid (the cause of) God, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly"

The quotation at the end of the statement is from the Qur'an, in Sura 47:7(). The translation of the quotation given here is by Abdullah Yusuf Ali.

One translator from U.S. cable news network MSNBC expressed scepticism at the legitimacy of this claim, claiming there is a "mistake" in the quoted verse from the Qur'an. The verse, as quoted in the letter, is missing the beginning of the original Qur'anic verse, which begins with "Ya ayyuhal Lathee" ("O you who believe!"). The verse is quoted only partially, which may or may not be a mistake.

The term ghazw, here translated as "raid", has historically often been used in Islamic contexts with the connotations of an attack on the enemies of an Islamic state seen as a meritorious act; those who carry out such attacks (ghazawāt) are called ghāzīs. See Ghazw for more detailed information on this topic.

Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigade

A second claim of responsibility was posted on the Internet on 9 July, claiming the attacks for another Al Qaeda-linked group, Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigade. The group has previously falsely claimed responsibility for events that were the result of technical problems, such as the 2003 London blackout and 2003 North America blackout.

Issues

Some news stories current a few hours after the attacks raised a query over the official position that there had been no warning or prior intelligence. It was reported on CBS News that a senior Israeli official said that British police told the Israeli Embassy in London minutes before the explosions that they had received warnings of possible terror attacks in the city. An Associated Press report carried on a number of news sites, including The Guardian, attributed the initial report of a warning to an Israeli "Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity," but added Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom's later denial on Israel Army Radio: "There was no early information about terrorist attacks." A similar report on the site of right-wing Israeli paper Israel National News / Arutz Sheva attributed the story to "Army Radio quoting unconfirmed reliable sources."

Reaction

Security alerts

Although there were security alerts at many locations, no other terrorist activities occurred outside central London.

Security alerts were reported at Brighton, Luton, and Swindon as well as other locations. In Brighton there was a controlled explosion of a suspicious briefcase at approximately 12:55 local time in a telephone box outside Brighton station. The briefcase was later found to be harmless, and the station was re-opened. East Croydon station was closed due to a suspect package, but was later re-opened. There were reports of Victoria Station being cordoned off by police amid reports of a ‘suspicious package’ on a bus near the station.

There were reports of a controlled explosion at Coventry bus station, as well as two controlled explosions carried out on a Lothian Buses double-decker on Princes Street in the centre of Edinburgh at around 17:30 BST; neither contained explosives.

In Poole, the train station was also closed in response to the discovery of a suspicious package. Staff and customers were locked in the supermarket building opposite. The package was later detonated by Police in a controlled explosion.

In Cardiff, the train and bus stations were closed after a security alert.

There were bomb scares in Sheffield City Centre, and in Nottingham City Centre, with Market Square being sealed off at 22:00 BST.

Prime Minister of France Dominique de Villepin announced that France had increased its level of terror alert to red, the second-highest level, in response to the events in London. Meanwhile, Berlin transport officials indicated that security alert levels for the public transport system of the German capital had been raised to yellow, the second of four levels.

In the United States, the Department of Homeland Security has raised the terror alert level to orange specifically for mass transit. Seattle, for example, had Seattle police and King County sheriffs patrolling at each stop in the downtown bus tunnel.

Transport and telecoms disruption

Vodafone reported that its mobile phone network reached capacity at about 10:00 on the day of the incident, and it was forced to initiate emergency procedures to prioritise emergency calls (ACCOLC). Other mobile phone networks have also reported failures. The BBC had speculated that the phone system has been closed by the security services to prevent the possibility of mobile phones being used to trigger bombs. Although this option was considered, it was later revealed that the intermittent unavailability of both mobile and landline phone systems was due to excessive usage.

For most of the day, London's public transport system was effectively crippled because of the complete closure of the underground system, the closure of the Zone 1 bus networks, and the evacuation of Russell Square. Bus services restarted at 4pm the same day, and most main-line train stations reopened shortly after. Tourist river vessels were pressed into service to provide a free alternative to the overcrowded trains and buses. Thousands of people chose to walk home or make their way to the nearest Zone 2 bus or train station. Most of the Underground aside from the affected stations restarted the next morning, though many commuters chose to stay at home.

Much of Kings Cross station was also closed, with the ticket hall and waiting area being used as a makeshift hospital to treat casualties on the spot. Although the station reopened later in the day, only suburban rail services were able to use it, with Intercity trains terminating at Peterborough (the service was fully restored the following Saturday). The Underground station at Kings Cross remains closed in order to facilitate the ongoing recovery and investigation effort.

Economic impact

There were limited immediate reactions to the attack in the world economy as measured by financial market and exchange rate activity. The pound fell 0.89 cents to a 19-month low against the U.S. dollar. However, stock markets fell less than some had feared. The FTSE 100 Index fell by about 200 points in the two hours after the first attack. This was its biggest fall since the start of the war in Iraq, and triggered the stock market's special measures, restricting panic selling and aimed at ensuring market stability. However, by the time the market closed it had recovered to only 71.3 points (1.36 per cent) down on the previous day's three-year closing high. Markets in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain also closed about 1 per cent down on the day.

US market indexes rose slightly, in part because the dollar index rose sharply against the pound and Euro. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 31.61 to 10,302.29. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 7.01 to 2075.66. The Standard & Poor S&P 500 Index rose 2.93 points to 1197.87 after declining up to 1 per cent. Every benchmark gained 0.3 per cent.

The markets picked up again on 8 July as it became clear that the damage caused by the bombings was not as great as initially thought. By close of trading the market had fully recovered to above its level at start of trading on 7 July. Insurers in the UK tend to reinsure their terrorist liabilities in excess of the first GBP75m with Pool Re, a mutual insurer set up by the government with leading insurers. Pool Re has substantial reserves and newspaper reports indicate that claims will be easily covered.

On 9 July, the Bank of England, HM Treasury and the Financial Services Authority revealled 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. , that allowed the institutions to communicate with the country's banks and market dealers.

Other

Edward Zwick's film 'The Siege' starring Denzel Washington wasn't broadcasted on BBC last night in fear of causing distress or offence because the film is about Islamic terrorists. 'Gone In Sixty Seconds' was shown instead.

International response

There were many responses to the attacks from around the world. See Response to the 2005 London bombings.

Timeline

See Timeline of the 7 July 2005 London bombings.

Contact numbers

Special contact numbers were issued for those trying to find friends or relatives.

• Casualty Hotline (Metropolitan Police): 0870 156 6344 (UK)   +44 870 156 6344 (International)
• Metropolitan Police: 020 7766 6020 (UK)   +44 20 7766 6020 (International)
• British Transport Police: 020 8358 0101 (UK)   +44 20 8358 0101 (International)
• Those outside the UK should see the list of Foreign Ministry contact details.

People with information regarding the bombings were asked to report it to the following number.

• Home Office anti-terrorist hotline 0800 789 321 (UK)

See also

Template:Wikinewsbombing This list of incidences constitute those of a large nature which have had significant national or international implications. They are attacks on infrastructure, civilians, or involving an element of public transportation. They are presented here for comparison, and to provide a context for which the July 7 2005 London bombings can be compared.

• Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway (20 March 1995)
• Islamist terror bombings in France (July – October 1995)
• 1996 IRA London bus bomb (February 1996)
• 9/11 attacks in the United States (11 September 2001)
• 2002 Bali terrorist bombing (12 October 2002)
• Jerusalem bus 20 massacre (21 November 2002)
• Jerusalem bus 2 massacre (19 August 2003)
• Moscow Metro bombing (6 February 2004)
• Madrid train bombings (11 March 2004)
• Casablanca Attacks (May 16 2003)

External links and references

• Google News (2005). Google Search: London Bombings. Retrieved July 9, 2005.
• PledgeBank (2005). I will at the earliest opportunity, assemble in London in a public demonstration of respect to the victims of the July 7 atrocity.... Retrieved July 9, 2005.

News articles

• BBC (2005). In Detail: What happened. Retrieved July 9, 2005.
• BBC (2005). London blasts: At a glance. Retrieved July 9, 2005.
• BBC (2005) July 7th Web Archives. BBC News Home Pages: | bbc.co.uk homepages
• CanWest Interactive Inc. (2005). Terror Hits London. Retrieved July 9, 2005.
• CNN (2005). Investigators pick through London carnage. Retrieved July 9, 2005.
• Guardian Unlimited (2005). Bomb blasts plunge London into chaos. Retrieved July 9, 2005.
• Sky News (2005). Terror Attacks in London. Retrieved July 9, 2005.
• The Economist (2005). The hunt for the London bombers begins. Retrieved July 9, 2005.
• Times Online (2005). London blast: survivors' tales. Retrieved July 9, 2005.

Live streams

• ABC (2005). Streaming radio. Retrieved July 9, 2005.
• BBC (2005). Listen to World Service. Retrieved July 9, 2005.

Photos and videos

• Alfies Discotastic Moblog (2005). London Underground bombing, trapped. Retrieved July 9, 2005.
• Flickr (2005). 7/7 Community (formerly London Bomb Blasts) / Pool. Retrieved July 9, 2005.
• Google Earth Hacks Forums (2005). Locations of the terrorist attacks in London on July 7th, 2005.. Retrieved July 9, 2005. (KML map file)
• JimLahey (2005). London Attacks 2005. Retrieved July 9, 2005.
• NowPublic (2005). Photos and videos. Retrieved July 9, 2005.
• PhotoDuck (2005). London Bombings London terrorist attacks London Bombing News Photos. Retrieved July 9, 2005.

• Current events
• London history
• Terrorist incidents in 2005
• Terrorism in the United Kingdom
• Terrorist incidents on railway systems
• Al-Qaeda