London Bombings: Ten Years Later

Ten years ago today, at 8:50 BST time three bombs were detonated on trains in London’s Underground subway system. About an hour later, a fourth explosion occurred on a London bus. After investigations, British intelligence identified four young men: Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain and Germaine Lindsay as the suicide bombers that executed the attacks that killed 52 commuters and injured several hundreds more. Ten years later, the attacks are remembered as the worst act of terrorism in Great Britain history.

Mohammad Sidique Khan is considered to have been the leader amongst the four bombers. Khan’s parents were both Pakistani immigrants, and he went on to work in British schools. Coworkers have said they never suspected Khan of being indoctrinated, as he openly condemned the attacks of 9/11 to his students. His teaching career came to an end in 2004 due to poor attendance from September and November during which he travelled to Pakistan for training at an al-Qaeda camp. MI5 had previously had eyes on Khan during a previous operation, however he was not looked at as essential personnel.

The second suspect, Shehzad Tanweer spent most of his life in Leeds, England. Tanweer graduated university with a degree in sports science. In the same year of graduation, Tanweer travelled to Pakistan with Khan. During his travels, he attended a madrassa and reportedly was tipped off to MI5 in the same operation as Khan. Rashid Rauf, an al Qaeda militant, is believed to have recruited Khan and Tanweer. Rauf first came to the attention of British authorities in 2002 when his uncle was murdered however he fled to Pakistan. After being indoctrinated in Pakistan, Rauf took part in plotting various attacks including the 2006 plot to blow up an airliner with liquid bombs, he remained active in terrorism until a US airstrike killed him on November 22, 2008. The two met Rauf in Pakistan during their 2004 travels to Pakistan. Rauf brought Khan and Tanweer to meet with senior al Qaeda operatives to begin planning the attacks.

Khan and Tanweer have connections to the Islamist organization al-Muhajiroun, a group banned in the UK and responsible for nearly half of all terrorist attacks in Great Britain in the past twenty years. 23 attacks have been linked to al-Muhajiroun, including plots to detonate liquid bombs on planes and bombing a London night club. Al-Muhajiroun militants have admitted to Pakistani officials they met Khan and Tanweer at a training camp in 2004, when the two were known to be traveling in Pakistan. The training camp, known as Malakand and is located in Northwestern Pakistan, a common training ground and indoctrination location for al-Muhajiroun militants.

Once Khan and Tanweer returned to the UK, they recruited Hasib Hussain and Germaine Lindsay to be accomplices in the bombings. In June 2005, the four bombers travelled to London to conduct surveillance and select targets.

Lindsay and Khan reportedly attended the Finsbury Park mosque, which has a reputation for being the site of radicalization by Imam Abu Hamza al Masri. Al Masri would eventually be extradited to the United States, where he stood trial, and was sentenced to life in prison for his role in establishing an Oregon-based terror training camp. The Finsbury Park mosque is notorious for Islamist extremists activity, especially with al-Muhajiroun. Omar Bakri Muhammad, the leader of al-Muhajiroun, also preached at the Finsbury Park Mosque. Muhammad was ultimately banned from Britain for his views, which included preaching the killing of women and children on Facebook, and faced terrorism charges in Lebanon for supporting the Islamic State.

On the morning of the attacks, Rauf and other al-Qaeda leaders ordered the bombers to leave the lids of the containers containing the bombs open to ensure the explosives would not overheat. The bombers boarded three subway train cars and one double-decker bus, and changed the world forever in a matter of a few minutes.

Ten years later, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced he believes the terrorism threat is as real and as deadly as ever. British officials have agreed with Prime Minister Cameron, reminding the public of the threat newer Islamic terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State pose when it comes to influencing home grown terrorism. British officials are making tremendous strides in terms of counterterrorism efforts, reportedly making at least one terrorism related arrest per day. With that said however, it remains essential for Great Britain and the rest of the world to remain vigilant and work towards diminishing the threat of Islamist terrorism.