We are now 20 years on from the July 7 terrorist attack on London – and the city still bears the scars two decades later.
But what happened that day? Here, we revisit the capital’s most tragic moment in recent history.
7/7 bombings: The timeline
03:58 AM: A light blue Nissan Micra, rented by Shehzad Tanweer is seen on CCTV in Hyde Park Road. It is believed that this vehicle was carrying Tanweer, and two of his accomplices Mohammad Sidique Khan and Hasib Hussain. This road is close to 18 Alexandra Grove which is suspected to have been the bomb factory.
05:07 AM: A red Fiat Brava, driven by Jermaine Lindsay, the fourth terrorist, arrives at Luton station car park.
06:49 AM: The Micra arrives at Luton and parks next to the Brava and the group appears to move items between the boots. They are all wearing large, full rucksacks, described as being for the purpose of making them look like they were going on a camping holiday. Explosive devices of a different, smaller kind, along with other items consistent with the use of explosives, are left in the Micra. Seperate to this, a 9mm handgun is found in the Brava.
07:15 AM: Lindsay, Hussain, Tanweer, and Khan enter Luton station together, passing through the ticket barriers.
07:21 AM: CCTV captures the four heading to the platform for the King’s Cross Thameslink train. They seem casually dressed and relaxed.
07:40 AM: The London King’s Cross train leaves Luton station.
08:23 AM: The train pulls in at King’s Cross, slightly delayed. At 08:26 AM, the four men are seen on CCTV heading towards the London Underground.
Around 08:30 AM: Four men matching their descriptions are seen hugging, appearing euphoric, before splitting up.
– Khan is believed to have boarded a westbound Circle Line train, Tanweer an eastbound Circle Line train
– Lindsay a southbound Piccadilly Line train.
– Hussain also appears to walk towards the Piccadilly Line entrance.
08:50 AM (Liverpool Street): CCTV depicts the platform at Liverpool Street with the eastbound Circle Line train seconds before it is blown up. Smoke is seen coming out from the tunnel moments after the train departs, creating an immediate sense of panic and confusion on the platform. The subsequent blast killed 8 people, including bomber Shehzad Tanweer, and injured 171.
08:50 AM (Edgware Road): Whilst at Edgware Road station, Khan, situated in the second carriage from the front of a westbound Circle Line train, is seen fiddling with his rucksack shortly before an explosion. This killed 7 people, including Khan, and injured 163.
08:50 AM (Piccadilly Line – King’s Cross to Russell Square): On the Piccadilly Line, Jermaine Lindsay is in the first carriage as it travels between King’s Cross and Russell Square. The train is crowded, having 127 people in the first carriage alone. The attack killed 27 people, including Lindsay, and injured over 340.
08:55 AM: Hasib Hussain leaves King’s Cross Underground and walks towards to Euston Road, attempting to contact the other three bombers.
09:19 AM: Hussain is seen on Grays Inn Road. It is believed he then boarded the No. 30 bus traveling eastwards from Marble Arch. The bus was very crowded as a result of the Underground closures and Hussain goes upstairs to sit on the upper deck where he situates towards the back with the bomb likely placed next to him.
09:47 AM: The bomb on the No. 30 bus is detonated near Tavistock Square, killing 14 people, including Hussain, and injuring 110.
09:29 AM: The Metropolitan Police press office officially confirms a “major incident.”
09:30 AM: The Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBR), the Government’s national crisis management facility, is activated.
10:55 AM: Home Secretary Charles Clarke chairs a COBR meeting.
11:00 AM: The Home Secretary states outside Downing Street that the blasts caused “terrible casualties” and that public transport suspension across London is now in place.
12:00 PM: Metropolitan Police Commissioner confirms “The situation has been very confused but is now coming under control.”
12:55 PM: The Home Secretary makes a statement to Parliament, confirming four explosions and their locations.
1:10 PM: Claims of responsibility are posted on the internet, including one from “The Secret Organisation Group of Al Qaida in Europe.”
5:30 PM: The Mayor of London at the time, Ken Livingstone, condemns the “cowardly attack” and confirms it is a “terrorist attack.”
5:50 PM: Prime Minister Tony Blair, having returned from the G8 meeting, makes a public statement, promising “most intense police and Security Service action.”
10:19 PM: The UN Security Council unanimously adopts a resolution condemning the attacks “without reservation.”
11:40 PM: Hasib Hussain’s family calls the police emergency hotline, reporting him missing. Meanwhile investigators start piecing together the identities of the bombers after personal items are found at that sites of the blasts.
In the wake of the attacks, The Queen spoke of the nation’s “sympathy to those who have been caught up in these events and above all to the relatives and friends of those who have lost their lives”. She continued: “Those who perpetrate these brutal acts against innocent people should know that they will not change our way of life.”
Twenty years on, London remembers the 52 innocent lives lost and honours the resilience shown by its people, emergency services, and transport workers on that day.