London bombing took place on 7 July 2005.
A series of coordinated bomb blasts hit London's public transport system. British Islamist extremists (Al-Qaeda Jihad) carried out the suicide bombings due to Britain's involvement in the Iraq War and other conflicts. At 8:50 a.m., three bombs exploded within fifty seconds on three London Underground trains.The fourth bomb exploded on a bus almost an hour later at 9:47 a.m. in Tavistock Square.
Below is an image of people trapped in the London underground after the bombings.
Attack on the trains
The first bomb exploded on an underground train, travelling between Liverpool Street and Aldgate. The train had left King's Cross St. Pancras about eight minutes. The parallel track of the Hammersmith and City Line from Liverpool Street to Aldgate East was damaged.
The second bomb exploded on the second carriage. An eastbound Circle Line train was passing next to the train and was damaged, along with a wall that collapsed.
The third bomb exploded on a southbound Picadilly Line deep-level Underground train. The bomb exploded about one minute after the train left King's Cross. The explosion took place at the rear of the first carriage of the train, causing severe damage to the rear. The surrounding tunnel also sustained damage.
Attack on a double-deckered bus
The bus bomb exploded towards the rear of the vehicle's top deck. The passengers at the front of the top deck are believed to have survived. A number of passer-bys were also injured by the explosion and surrounding buildings were damaged by fragments.
Memorial Event
On 7 July 2006, the country held a two-minute silence at midday to remember those who died in the bombings a year before. Plaques were unveiled at the tube stations where the bombs exploded and memorial services were held at each scene to pay tribute to the lives lost.
The Bombers'
The following men are stated to have carried out the attacks:
The bombers caught on CCTV at Luton railway station at 07:21 a.m. on 7 July.
- Shehzad Tanweer - Aldgate Tube 8:50 a.m.
- Germaine Lindsay - Russell Square 8:50 a.m.
- Hasib Hussain - Tavistock Square 9:47 a.m.
- Mohammad Sidique Khan- Edgware Road Tube 8:50 a.m.
Below is an image of the bombers.
From left to right, Hasib Hussain, Germaine Lindsay, Mohammad Sidique Khan, and Shehzad
Tanweer.
6:26 AM
What are the outcomes of the attack?
- Killed 52 commuters and the four suicide bombers
- Injured 700 people
- Series of suicide-bomb explosions constituted largest and deadliest terrorist attack on London's transit system in its history
Disrupted the city's transport system
- For most of the day, central London's public transport system was effectively crippled as the underground system is completely closed. Tourist river vessels were pressed into service to provide a free alternative. Thousands of people chose to walk home or make their way to the nearest Zone 2 bus or train station. Most of the Underground apart from the affected stations restarted the next morning, though some commuters chose to stay at home.
- Much of King's Cross station was also closed, with the ticket hall and waiting area being used as a makeshift hospital to treat casualties on the spot. King's Cross St. Pancras tube station remained open only to Metropolitan Line services in order to facilitate the ongoing recovery and investigation effort for a week.
Telecommunications disrupted
- Country's mobile telecommunications infrastructure distrupted. Other networks also reported failures. The phone system was closed by the security services to prevent from being used to trigger bombs. Although it was considered, later became clear that the intermittent unavailability of both mobile and landline phone systems were due to excessive usage.
Economic Impacts
- 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. 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 it triggered the London Stock Exchange'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%) 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.
- People gripped by fear.
- The london commuters who were at the scene was traumatised badly.
Psychological Impacts
12:09 AM
What was done after the event?
- A lot of effort was put into The Big Hunt to nab terrorists
- Transport Networks' security was boosted
- Troops patrolling in full riot gear
- Police locked up storage yards and checked out-of-service trains and buses for bombs with sniffer dogs
- Access to bus depots are tightened
- Security messages blared every few minutes over the loud speakers
- Commuters bag were put through an X-ray scanner
- Inspectors carry radiation detectors and surveillance cameras were set up in trains
- Commuters have to go through a body scanner to detect any explosives
10:28 PM
Videos & other info about london bombing
Songs about London Bombing
- Where is the love - Black eyed peas
- When the children cry - White Lions
Books about London Bombing
- 7 - 7: The London Bombings: What Went Wrong? - Crispin Black
- The London Bombings: An Independent Inquiry - Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed
8:23 AM
Videos and Recommendation on the measures taken against London Bombing
The video below shows the view of a pupil from Canberra secondary.
This view is about checking baggages of the commuters in trains and air transport.
The advantage of this measure is to prevent any opportunity that the terrorist from striking them again.
The disadvantage of having this measure is that the travelling time of the commuters will be longer and the commuters would be late for work or schooling.
From his view, he supports this measure as it benefits the people of London and prevents another disaster. It is a positive view about the measure taken.
The second video shows the view of a teacher from Yishun secondary
This view is about checking baggages of the commuters in air transport and trains.
From her point of view, she supports the idea of baggage checks. She feels that the random checks are needed to ensure the safety of the people although the adminstration part takes a lot of time. From the experience of the London Bombing, tightening the securities is important and it is better to be safe than sorry.
Views from our group members:
Diyanah : She supports the idea of baggage checks. Although it is time consuming, it prevents any terrorists from striking again. This ensures the safety of the commuters.
Catherine : She supports the idea of baggage checks. Firstly, this ensures that all the commuters are safe. Secondly, it is to prevent any disaster like this from happening again. Lastly, this will make the people of London feel safer.
Praven : He supports the idea of baggage checks. This is to ensure that commuters will enjoy a safe trip and they do not have to fear about their safety.
Hai Qiang : He supports the idea too. This is for the sake of the safety and well-being of the london people, to catch any suspicious people who may attempt to bomb and also to be safe than sorry.
8:22 AM
