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On this day…in 2005

On July 7, 2005, during the peak rush hour in London, three crowded underground stations and one bus were struck by bombs.

The suicide bombings, believed to be orchestrated by al-Qaida, resulted in the deaths of 56 people, including the bombers, and left around 700 injured. This marked the most significant assault on Great Britain since World War II, occurring without any prior warning.

The bombings targeted the London Underground, which serves as the city’s subway system. At approximately 8:50 a.m., near-simultaneous explosions wreaked havoc in three locations: between Aldgate and Liverpool Street stations on the Circle Line; between Russell Square and King’s Cross stations on the Piccadilly Line; and at the Edgware Road station, also part of the Circle Line. Almost an hour afterwards, a blast occurred on a double-decker bus near Tavistock Square on Upper Woburn Place, tearing off the bus’s roof.

These attacks occurred while world leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, convened at the G8 summit in nearby Scotland. Upon learning of the explosions, Blair described the incidents as barbaric, highlighting the likelihood that their timing was deliberate given the ongoing summit. He later pledged to ensure that those responsible would face justice, asserting that Great Britain, a key ally of the U.S. in the Iraq war, would not succumb to terrorist intimidation.

Among the four suicide bombers, three were British-born, while one hailed from Jamaica. Three lived in or around West Yorkshire’s Leeds, and one resided in Buckinghamshire’s Aylesbury. Al-Qaida officially took responsibility for the attacks on September 1, 2005, via a videotape that was aired on the al-Jazeera television network.

Just two weeks later, on July 21, 2005, another set of four bombings was attempted, again targeting the city’s transit system, but these failed as the explosives detonated only partially. In late July, four individuals believed to be responsible for these failed attacks were apprehended.

Daily, an estimated 3 million people use the London Underground, while an additional 6.5 million utilize the city’s bus network.

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