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Inside the Hunt for the 7/7 London Bombers: Shocking Revelations and Tragic Mistakes

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July 7, 2005 marked a tragic day in London’s history as four suicide bombers carried out coordinated attacks involving explosives. The blasts occurred near underground stations and on a bus, ultimately resulting in the deaths of 52 individuals and leaving over 770 more injured.

Dan Biddle, a survivor, describes the events of 7/7 as “akin to unlocking the doors of the underworld” in a new documentary series titled Attack On London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers. This Netflix series delves into the occurrences of 7/7 through testimonies from witnesses, families of victims, investigators like former MI5 Director General Eliza Manningham-Buller, and even former Prime Minister Tony Blair. The title references the 7/7 bombings, but the four-episode series also delves into the attempted bombings that took place two weeks later on July 21, as well as the subsequent nationwide manhunt to apprehend those involved. Additionally, it sheds light on a tragic police mistake that claimed an innocent life.

The aftermath of the 7/7 attacks

In my astonishment, I recount the chilling incident where four bombers lost their lives in a series of devastating attacks. The aftermath left the police force in a frenzy, desperately trying to unveil the identities of these terrorists. They meticulously sifted through countless hours of footage capturing the flow of tens of thousands of people moving in and out of numerous underground stations scattered across the city. A significant breakthrough was made when an employee stumbled upon footage of four men, each carrying bulky backpacks, walking together at a station. Given that four individuals were responsible for four bombings throughout the city, this discovery offered a roadmap for the investigation. The footage then led us back to Luton, roughly 32 miles north of King’s Cross station, near one of the blast sites. Remarkably, their vehicle—a Nissan Micra—was still parked at that station. Upon searching the car, we discovered a collection of small homemade explosive devices, confirming our suspicions and identifying the perpetrators.

Among the individuals under suspicion was Hasib Hussain, who was merely 18 years old and resided with his family in Leeds, located in northern England. Surprisingly, he also had a separate rental property. This residence contained components for making explosives, providing valuable evidence—such as fingerprints, phone records—that ultimately led to the identification of all four suspects: Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain, and Jermaine Lindsay. All of these men were natives of Britain, having been raised there, yet they harbored intentions to inflict harm upon their own society. The tranquil town of Beeston found itself under police scrutiny as investigators sought to comprehend the process that transformed these individuals into cold-blooded murderers. During their investigation, they discovered several video recordings, one of which featured Mohammad Sidique Khan declaring, “We are at war, and I am a soldier. Now you too will experience the reality of this situation.

In the course of their investigation, forensics uncovered no signs of the typical bombs authorities anticipated, implying they encountered an entirely novel method for crafting explosives. What they found instead was a combination of piperine (derived from crushed black peppercorns) and hydrogen peroxide – substances easily obtainable to the public.

The television show, titled “Attack on London,” raises doubts about MI5’s efficiency as the UK’s domestic intelligence agency. According to the series, two of the terrorists, Mohammad and Shezhad, had previously been recognized by MI5. However, they were not deemed significant enough threats for close surveillance. If they had been closely monitored, it might have been discovered that in 2004, these individuals traveled to Pakistan to learn from the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda. There, they were militarized and radicalized, eventually leading them to plan an attack on Britain.

The 7/21 Attacks

Two weeks following the July 7 terrorist attacks, four would-be suicide bombers detonated devices in different parts of the city: Oval, Warren Street, Hackney, and Shepherd’s Bush. However, these explosions didn’t cause any fatalities or injuries, which meant that all attackers lived through the blasts. Consequently, a manhunt began to track down the surviving suicide bombers who had failed in their attempts.

Significant progress was made when authorities discovered a gym membership at an explosion site, linked to Hussain Osman. By reaching out to the gym, they obtained his home address. The police suspected that terrorists might be gathering at this location. However, during continuous monitoring, there was a temporary gap – a guard had to step away for a short period to relieve himself. A possible suspect then appeared on their radar, but identifying him proved challenging as all they had was an unclear, magnified image of the gym membership.

Following the possible suspect, he boarded a bus. His journey led him to Stockwell station. The authorities were instructed to prevent his entry into the subway, but it was too late as he had already entered the station and couldn’t hear the radio message. Another police unit, under the command of Police Chief Cressida Dick, was told not to let the man on the subway. This unit was only to intervene once they were certain that the man they were tracking was Osman. Since the man had already boarded a train at Stockwell station in South London, they interpreted this as confirmation that the man was indeed the suspect. Equipped officers boarded the train and fired five shots, fatally wounding him. However, it turned out that the man did not possess a suspected explosive device, and further investigation revealed he was Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent civilian. Dick, who had given the order not to let the man on the train, declined to comment for the series.

Following the tragic blunder resulting in de Menezes’s death, the pursuit of the four suspects persisted. The investigation struggled to locate all four terrorists, prompting the release of their images to the public. This potentially alerted the perpetrators that they were being sought, but with few alternatives left, they believed leveraging the power of the public might help in their search. Additionally, the investigation kept tabs on various communication devices, including cell phones. One phone suspected to be Hussain Osman’s was tracked, leading to the discovery that he had traveled to Paris using a fake passport via the Eurostar. This phone ceased activity when Osman departed London.

On the third day of the manhunt, July 23, 2007, I received an anonymous tip-off that one of the circulated images was my son, and pointed out Muktar Said as one of the terrorists. The following day, another call came in from a manager of Curtis House in North London, who recognized Yassin Oman, the Warren Street bomber, as a former resident. With these two identifications, we now had three out of four bombers positively identified. Upon visiting Oman’s apartment, the police discovered traces of explosive-making in the kitchen and evidence linking him to Finsbury Park Mosque and its leader, Abu Hamza. Known for his radical preachings encouraging violence, Hamza is currently serving a life sentence in New York.

On the sixth day of my relentless pursuit, a pivotal tip came in from a landlord: a fugitive I’d been tracking was living in Birmingham, approximately 120 miles up north from London. My heart raced as I examined CCTV footage showing this elusive figure donning a burka to slip past the city limits of London.

Reaching his residence, I found him standing in a bathtub, clad in a bulky backpack that stirred my suspicion – could it contain an explosive device? Thankfully, it was empty, and we were able to apprehend him without incident. The chase continued, but for now, the capture of this suspect felt like a small victory in my journey as a film enthusiast turned amateur detective.

The crowd played a crucial role in tracking down the perpetrators of the London bombings on July 21. Another tip-off revealed that the final assailant was Ramzi Mohammed. This information led the authorities to conduct a raid at Dalgarno Gardens in West London on July 29, where they made an unexpected finding: both Mohammed and Said were found in the apartment. With three suspects now in police custody, only Hussain Osman remained elusive. The police eventually apprehended him after Osman, who had connections in Italy, replaced his SIM card with an Italian one, making it possible to trace him. After an eight-day manhunt, all four perpetrators from the July 21 attacks were in police custody.

The killing of an innocent civilian 

Many people in the UK were outraged by the death of Jean Charles de Menezes, as they found it unacceptable that the police would use deadly force against an innocent man. At first, the police attempted to justify their actions by portraying de Menezes as a resistant and non-compliant individual, suggesting they had no other choice but to shoot him. However, the documentary “Attack on London” includes testimony from the officer who killed de Menezes, who admits that this account is false. Initially, reports suggested de Menezes jumped over the ticket barriers, prompting the police to chase him, but the officer’s testimony clarifies that this was not what happened: De Menezes moved through the station normally, and it was actually the police who jumped the barriers. The officer accepts full responsibility for his actions and the death of de Menezes.

Towards the conclusion of “Attack on London,” title cards disclose that despite a thorough inquiry into the 7/7 bombings, MI5 received severe criticism but no proof that they could have averted the explosions. The jury also dismissed the police’s argument that the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes was legal. No officers were charged or held accountable for the shooting incident. In a 2007 court case, the Metropolitan Police Service was found guilty of violating health and safety regulations and potentially endangering the public, receiving a fine of £175,000.

The individuals involved in the 7/21 bombings were found guilty of plotting to take lives, and each was handed a minimum sentence of 40 years in prison.

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2025-07-02 01:06

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