7-7 London Attacks

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July 7 2005 London Bombings

• Hina Zaidi

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Introduction

• A series of coordinated suicide attacks on
  London's public transport system during the
  morning rush hour, killed 52 people and injured
  more than 700.
• Chaos erupted across the capital, echoing the
  horrific terrorist attacks faced by New York four
  years before, on 11 September 2001.
• The worst bombing in London since WWII, it
  brought the citys public transport network to a
  standstill.
• Initially, Metro net said a power surge has
  caused an explosion in the London tube station,
  later European Union Commissioner for Justice and
  Security Affairs Franco told reporters the blasts
  in London are terrorist attacks.

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Who?

• The bombers were later confirmed to be Muslim
  extremists.
• 30 year old Mohammad Sidique Khan,
• 24 year old Shehzad Tanweer,
• 19 year old Germaine Lindsay
• and Hasib Hussain the bus bomber was only 18
  years old.
• Following the events of 7/7 all four bombers were
  found to be British citizens said to be leading
  normal every day lives, including Khan who was a
  respected teaching assistant in his native
  Beeston, Leeds.

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Where?
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Why?

• British Prime Minister Tony Blair declared in a
  public statement the "barbaric" London blasts are
  terrorist attacks and were designed to coincide
  with the G8 summit in Scotland to disrupt it.
• To further promote the myths of "Arab/Muslim
  terrorists" and the "War on Terror".
• To divert attention from Blair's lied leading to
  British participation in the war on Iraq.
• The 7/7 bombers' action came the day after the
  announcement that London had been awarded the
  2012 Olympic Games.

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Motivations

• Al Jazeera aired a videotape of Mohammed Sidique
  Khan calling Osama bin Laden, Ayman
  al-Zawahiri and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi "today's
  heroes."
• Two of the bombers made videotapes describing
  their reasons for becoming what they called
  "soldiers". In a videotape broadcast by Al
  Jazeera on 1 September 2005, Mohammad Sidique
  Khan, described his motivation.
• The focus of the Khans video is on perceived
  injustices carried out by the West against
  Muslims.
• On 6 July 2006, a videotaped statement by Shehzad
  Tanweer was broadcast by Al-Jazeera.
• Tanweer argued that the non-Muslims of Britain
  deserve such attacks because they voted for a
  government which "continues to oppress our
  mothers, children, brothers and sisters in
  Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq and Chechnya."

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Conspiracy theory

• The four bombers were not the culprits, not
  bombers, and merely innocent civilians along with
  all the other victims. The real killers,
  according to the theory, were members of the UK
  governments security, including MI5, and that PM
  Tony Blair, and even the Queen, knew all about it.

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CCTV Picture of four bombers captured at Luton
station, was faked.
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Impacts

• The officer in charge of policing the G8 summit
  said many of the 1,500 Metropolitan Police
  officers in Scotland would be urgently redeployed
  to London.
• Celebrations to mark the homecoming from
  Singapore of the successful London Olympic bid
  team were cancelled.
• 54 state schools were closed in Westminster.
• Mobile phone services across London were jammed.
• Thousands of commuters faced difficult journeys
  as major routes of London were blocked.
• Muslim communities across the UK came under
  greater criticism from politicians, the media,
  and the security services.
• A much greater impact on Muslim/non-Muslim
  relations in this country than the 11 September
  attacks in the United States.
• Acute psychological impact on the population. 

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Economic Impact

• The British pound decreased 0.89 cents against
  the U.S. dollar.
• The FTSE 100 Index fell by about 200 points
  during the two hours after the first attack. This
  was its greatest decrease since the invasion of
  Iraq, and it triggered the London Stock
  Exchange's 'Special Measures', restricting panic
  selling and aimed at ensuring market stability.
• U.S. market indexes increased slightly, partly
  because the dollar index increased sharply
  against the pound and the euro.
• Bombs also cost UK tourism 300 million.

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Impact on the world

• Media created hype.
• Hostility and distrust against Islam's around the
  world.
• Inflicts fear on neighboring countries and
  subsequently the rest of the world.
• Threatens national and international security
  making people more resilient.

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Role of UN

• To consistently, clearly and strongly condemn
  terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,
  committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever
  purposes, as it constitutes one of the most
  serious threats to international peace and
  security.

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Measures taken by the UK government against
Transnational Terrorism

• Home Secretary announced a fast-tracked
  anti-terror bill. This legislation criminalizes
  most act directly and indirectly connected to
  terrorism. (July, 2005)
• The bill constantly being reviewed and a new
  Counter-terrorism Bill 2008 formed.
• The laws of the bills have became harsher and
  more precise.
• For e.g.
• 1. the clarification of the power to "stop and
  search", to check for any suspicious objects or
  potential weapons
• 2.also increment of pre-charge detention from 28
  days to 42 days to ensure precision of
  investigation

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Measures taken by the UK government to cope

• Underground revealed in November its plans to
  increase the number of CCTV cameras, currently at
  6,000, to double the present number by 2010.
• Trials of random airport-format security checks,
  and subways will carry out check on random
  passengers through body scanners and passing
  their bags through x-rays.

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Measures taken by the UK government

• PM Tony Blair suggested major changings in
  Counter-terrorism Policy.
• Increasing policing has also formed an intuitive
  part of the response to the current bombing
  campaign manpower in the police forces stood at
  139,728, a record level in Britain and an
  increase of 12,5000 from 1997.
• Increased 90 million, to fund upgrades in
  Birmingham and Manchester as well as increased
  surveillance and gathering of intelligence.