A crowd gathered in Piccadilly for a two-minute silence to remember the victims of the terrorist attack in London on July 7, 2005. This attack involved four suicide bombers who detonated explosives at underground stations and on a bus, resulting in the tragic loss of 52 lives and injuries to over 770 individuals. Dan Biddle, a survivor of the attack, vividly described the horrifying experience as “like opening the gates of hell” in the documentary series titled “Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers,” available on Netflix. The series delves into the events of that fateful day through firsthand testimonies, families of victims, and key figures involved in the investigation, such as former MI5 Director General Eliza Manningham-Buller and former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
In addition to exploring the 7/7 bombings, the four-episode series also sheds light on the attempted bombings that occurred on July 21, as well as the extensive nationwide manhunt to apprehend the perpetrators. It also addresses a tragic police error that resulted in the loss of an innocent life.
Following the attacks, the police faced the daunting task of identifying the bombers, who had all perished in the explosions. A breakthrough in the investigation came when footage captured four individuals carrying large backpacks in an underground station, leading authorities to trace their movements back to Luton. The suspects were eventually identified as Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain, and Jermaine Lindsay—all British-born individuals who had been radicalized into committing acts of terror.
The investigation revealed that the bombers had used homemade explosive devices made from piperine and hydrogen peroxide, unconventional materials that posed new challenges for law enforcement. The documentary series also raises questions about the effectiveness of MI5, as it was revealed that two of the terrorists had previously come to the agency’s attention but were not deemed high-priority targets for surveillance.
As the nation grappled with the aftermath of the 7/7 attacks, the documentary sheds light on the complex web of events that led to this tragic chapter in London’s history and the ongoing efforts to prevent future acts of terrorism.
The attackers were determined to strike Britain. In the documentary “Attack on London: Hunting The 7/7 Bombers” available on Netflix, the events following the 7/21 Attacks are detailed. Two weeks after the initial terrorist bombings on 7/7, four more individuals attempted suicide attacks in various parts of the city: Oval, Warren Street, Hackney, and Shepherd’s Bush. Luckily, these attacks were unsuccessful, resulting in no casualties. The failed suicide bombers were on the run, sparking a manhunt by law enforcement.
A breakthrough in the investigation occurred when a gym membership belonging to Hussain Osman was found at one of the attack sites. With the address retrieved from the gym, the police suspected that the attackers might be gathering there. The residence was put under surveillance, but a brief lapse in monitoring allowed a potential suspect to emerge. Despite efforts to identify the suspect, only a blurry image from the gym membership could be used as a lead.
As the suspect boarded a bus and headed to Stockwell station, confusion arose among the police teams regarding the suspect’s identity. Tragically, armed officers mistakenly shot and killed an innocent man, Jean Charles de Menezes, believing him to be the terrorist. This grave error led to public outrage and further intensified the hunt for the actual suspects.
The investigation struggled to track down the remaining bombers, prompting the release of their images to the public. Despite the risk of alerting the suspects, authorities hoped that public assistance would aid in capturing the perpetrators. Surveillance on communication devices, including a suspected phone belonging to Osman, revealed that he had fled to Paris using a fake passport.
Over the course of the manhunt, crucial information was provided by a caller identifying Muktar Said and an apartment manager recognizing Yassin Oman as two of the bombers. This led to the discovery of bomb-making materials at Oman’s residence and ties to the Finsbury Park Mosque and its radical leader, Abu Hamza.
The search for the suspects continued, with law enforcement making progress in identifying and tracking them down.
In a recent incident, the police were alerted by a landlord that Oman had taken up residence in Birmingham, located approximately 120 miles north of London. Surveillance footage showed Oman had disguised himself in a burka to leave London. Upon arriving at his residence, authorities found Oman in a bathtub with a large backpack, leading them to suspect he was carrying an explosive. Fortunately, this was not the case, and Oman was successfully apprehended.
The public played a crucial role in the investigation of the London 7/21 bombers. A tip identified the final attacker as Ramzi Mohammed, prompting a police raid on his residence at Dalgarno Gardens in West London on July 29. To their surprise, Mohammed was not alone in the flat; another suspect, Said, was also present. With three suspects in custody, only Hussain Osman remained at large. Osman was eventually captured after authorities tracked him through an Italian SIM card he had inserted into his cell phone, leading to his arrest following an eight-day manhunt. All four bombers from the 7/21 attacks were eventually taken into custody.
The documentary “Attack on London: Hunting The 7/7 Bombers” sheds light on the tragic killing of innocent civilian Jean Charles de Menezes, a case that sparked outrage across the UK. Despite initial attempts by the police to justify the shooting by portraying de Menezes as noncompliant, testimony from the anonymous officer who fired the fatal shot contradicted these claims. The officer took full responsibility for his actions and the death of de Menezes, clarifying that the victim did not provoke the police as initially suggested.
The documentary also highlights the outcomes of the inquest into the 7/7 attacks, which criticized MI5 but ultimately found no evidence that the agency could have prevented the bombings. The jury rejected the police’s assertion that the shooting of de Menezes was lawful, and no individual officers were held accountable for the incident. However, the Metropolitan Police Service was fined £175,000 for breaching health and safety laws.
The 7/21 bombers were convicted of conspiracy to murder and were each sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison. For further inquiries, please contact us at letters@time.com.
