London Terrorist Attacks (2005)

The 7/7 Attacks and Response

On July 25, 2005, four British men coordinated a series of bombing attacks on London's transportation system. At approximately 8:50 A.M., three bombs detonated within 50 seconds of each other on three London Underground trains. Within an hour, at 9:47 A.M., a fourth bomb exploded on a double-decker bus near Tavistock Square. The bombs were homemade peroxide-based devices that were small enough to be carried in backpacks and detonated by the terrorists. All four of the terrorists were killed as a result of the explosions. The first bomb exploded on an eastbound Circle Line train traveling between the Liverpool Street and Algate stations. Initial reports of this event came from both the Liverpool Street and Algate stations, leading to reports that there had been two incidents. The train and tracks were damaged by this explosion.

The second bomb exploded on a westbound Circle Line train leaving Edgware Road on its way to Padding-ton Station. Several other nearby trains suffered damage as a result of this explosion, and passengers trapped on the train used umbrellas to break windows to escape. The third bomb detonated on a southbound Piccadilly Line train traveling between the King's Cross/St. Pancras and Russell Square stations. This explosion caused severe damage to the train as well as the deep-level tunnel in which it occurred. These explosions took place within 50 seconds of each other, and initially were not realized to have been the result of bombings. Delays on the Underground were at the outset reported by Metronet Rail, the public/private partnership that operated the Tube, to be the result of a power surge. Slightly less than an hour later, a fourth bomb exploded on a double-decker bus passing through Tavistock Square. The explosion tore the roof off the bus, and caused death and extreme injuries to passengers.

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