7/7 London terrorangreb

'What happened in London on 7 July 2005 could happen at any time, in any city, in any country’

By Rabia Nadeem

26/02/21

A series of bombs exploded on three London Underground trains on July 7, 2005, at approximately 8:50 a.m. An hour later, on the upper deck of a bus in Tavistock Square, a fourth bomb detonated. The attacks, the work of four suicide bombers, marked London's deadliest bombings since World War II and modern Western Europe's first suicide attacks.

London had been warned repeatedly that an attack was inevitable: it was a question of when, not if. It was told that London had planned, prepared and practiced its response. Emergency planners had worked for years to put in place effective plans to respond to a terrorist attack or other major or catastrophic incident in the capital. On 7 July 2005, these plans were put to the test comprehensively for the first time, as hundreds of people from London’s emergency, transport, health and other service worked to rescue the injured, ensure the safety of the wide largest criminal investigation ever conducted in London.

The 52 victims were of diverse backgrounds; among them were several foreign-born British nationals and foreign exchange students. The majority of the victims lived in or near London. Because of train delays before the attacks and subsequent transport problems caused by them, several victims died aboard trains and buses they would not normally have taken. Their ages ranged from 20 to 60 years old, with an average age of 34.