Incident Summary:

07/07/2005: A suicide bomber detonated on the No. 30 Dennis Trident 2 double-decker bus operating in London’s Tavistock Square. Thirteen people, not including the suicide bomber, were killed and hundreds were injured in the attack. Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades and the Secret Organization of al-Qaida in Europe both claimed responsibility, although it is generally believed that the claim by Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades were not credible. Documents found by German authorities in 2011 indicate al-Qaida's role in planning and coordinating the attacks.

GTD ID:
200507070004

When:
2005-07-07

Country:
United Kingdom

Region:
Western Europe

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

England

City:
London

Location Details:
Tavistock Square

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Bombing/Explosion
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Transportation
Name of Entity London Underground
Specific Description Number 30 Bus
Nationality of Target Great Britain
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage Yes
Extent of Property Damage Major (likely > $1 million but < $1 billion)
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Explosives Suicide (carried bodily by human being)
Weapon Details
The explosive materials were homemade peroxide-based devices packed in rucksacks. It is estimated that less than 10 pounds of this explosive was used in each attack. While the manufacturing of this explosive is a dangerous process, it does not require great skill.
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?Yes
Part of Multiple Incident?Yes
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) No
Additional Information The perpetrator, Hasib Hussain, traveled to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in 2003. He met Khan and Tanweer shortly thereafter, and all three attended the Stratford Street Mosque in Beeston. The materials used for this attack were relatively inexpensive, leading many to doubt that foreign funding was used. Hussain reportedly attempted to contact the other bombers by mobile telephone before the first three blasts, and purchased batteries in a store before detonating his bomb in the bus. The claim of responsibility by the Secret Organization of al Qaeda in Europe was posted on the "Qala" website hours after the attack. MI5 has reportedly declared the attack to be largely motivated by the conflict in Iraq and other perceived injustices against Muslims by the West. Location-specific casualty information source: BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/uk/05/london_blasts/what_happened/html/).
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Al-Qaida Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Posted to website, blog, etc.)
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators 1
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 14 Fatalities / 110 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 14
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 1
Total Number of Injured 110
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
Jane Wardell and Lukas I. Alpert, “Qaeda Blast Kill at Least 37 – Bus and 3 Subways are Bombed, US Boost Train Security Alert,” The New York Post, July 8, 2005.
Peter Wilson, “Terrorists hit London – Hundreds injured in rush-hour attacks,” The Australian, July 8, 2005.
Alan Cowell, Raymond Bonner, "Changes in investigation of bombing attacks in London leave major questions unanswered," The New York Times, August 15, 2008.