London bombings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

London bombings - Essay Example Fifty six people, 4 of which, the bombers, died in London on 7 July 2006 as a result of coordinated bombings at 3 points in the London underground train network and one double decker bus during the morning rush hour. About 700 were injured from the bombings: 340 at Russel Square; 90 at Aldgate; 163 at Edgware Road and 100 at the bus explosion at Tavistock Place. 350 of whom were treated at the scene and the rest treated at nearby hospitals: Royal London Hospital and St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington. Non-British victims of the bombing include people from Australia, China, Colombia, Israel, New Zealand, Poland, Romania and Sierra Leone ("Casualties of the 7 July 2005 London bombings", 2006).The three bombs at the underground train: Russel Square, Aldgate and Edgware Road exploded at around 8:50 in the morning, with 50 second interval from each other. About an hour later, another bomb exploded in Tavistock Place on a bus. The bombing is said to be the deadliest incident in London since the Second World War and in the whole United Kingdom since the Pan Am Flight 103 incident. It is also the first suicide bombing in Western Europe ("7 July 2005 London bombings", 2006).The British authorities confirmed the identities of the four bombers: Germaine Lindsay, 19; Hasib Hussain, 18; Shehzad Tanweer, 24 and Mohammad Sidique Khan, 30. Among the Bombers, Khan was identified to be the leader and Tanweer, second in command. Their inclusion in the death toll and their participation in the bombing were made certain by forensic evidence taken from the sites of bombing. DNA tests show that the four bombers were near the bomb during the explosions. Forensic evidence also shows the link between Khan, Tanweer and Hussain, and the bomb factory discovered in Alexandra Grove. In addition, the camera footages taken before the attack showed the bombers, each carrying rucksacks of distinctive size. The authorities confirm the possibility that the bombs used in the attack were contained in the rucksacks. Based on the reports gathered from witnesses, two of the bombers were remembered to be fiddling with their rucksacks before the explosions ("Report of the Official Account of the Bombings in London on 7th July 2005", 2006).Twelve thousand statements and 5000 forensically examined exhibits were used to and are still being used to connect situations and give the most detailed account of what happened. On 11 May 2006, an official account of the bombings was released ("Report of the Official Account of the Bombings in London on 7th July 2005", 2006). Initially, prior to the release of the 11 May report, it was theorized that high grade explosives with timed detonators were used by the bombers. The report refuted this theory stating that the bombs used were actually home-made explosives which materials could be very easily obtained. This report also provided a narrative of how the attack took place and a background on each bomber. In summary, the report ascertained that the planning of the London attacks took place after two of the bombers, Khan and Tanweer came back from Pakistan. It was claimed that some Al Qaeda training took place. Immediately after the attack, Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks in a website operated by the associates of Al Qaeda. According to them, the attacks were done in retaliation for the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan ("Report of the Official Account of the Bombings in London on 7th July 2005", 2006). The profiles of the bombers detailed in the report illustrate the difficulty in determining who and who are not possible suspects. All the bombers were known to be living seemingly ordinary lives with personalities not indicating any terroristic tendencies: Khan, being a role model for the youth; Tanweer with his friendly nature and modesty; Hussain being shy and quiet and Lindsay, although with possible criminal tendencies, did not exhibit any manifestation of terrorist