Often referred to as the 7/7 bombings of London, the suicide attacks in England’s largest city happened 11 years ago today.
The attacks targeted civilians using public transportation systems during peak rush hours.
On the morning of Thursday, July 7, 2005, four Islamic extremists separately detonated three bombs in succession aboard London’s underground train system – as well as a fourth bombing on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square.
In all, 52 people were killed and over 700 reported injuries were in the attacks – at the time, it was considered one of the worst terrorist incidents in the UK since the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
The attack was also the UK’s first taste of Islamic extremist attacks within its borders.
The bombings came the same day London won the right to host the 2012 Olympic Games.
Originally thought to be a series of six bombings, rather than three, the bus bombing brought the total to seven. The erroneous reporting happened after it was discovered that the bombings occurred on trains between stations, causing panic and injuries to both stations due to the size of the explosions.
A code amber alert was declared at 9.19am, and the Underground ceased operations bringing London to a standstill.
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