7/7 London bombings: When were the attacks and how many people died?
THE terrorist bombing of three Underground stations and a double-decker bus was the worst attack on capital since World War II.
Fifty-two innocent people killed in a series of coordinated explosions by four suicide bombers - we look back on its 16th anniversary.
When were the 7/7 bombings?
At 8.49am on July 7, 2005, three bombs were detonated onboard London Underground trains within 50 seconds of each other.
An hour later a fourth bomb was detonated on the top deck of a number 30 double-decker bus.
What happened in London?
A group of three suicide bombers set off from Leeds, West Yorkshire, at about 4am in a hired Nissan Micra and drove to Luton, Bedfordshire, to meet their fourth accomplice on July 7, 2005.
The gang then travelled by train into central London carrying rucksacks packed full of explosives and arrived at London King's Cross station at 8.23am.
Three of the men, Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer and Germaine Lindsay, entered the Underground and boarded separate trains.
Ringleader Khan got into the second carriage of a westbound Circle line train heading towards Paddington and detonated his device close to the second set of double doors at Edgware Road just before 8.50am.
Tanweer boarded an eastbound Circle line train and set off his device at the rear of the second carriage between Liverpool Street and Aldgate at the same time.
Lindsay caused the most devastation when he detonated his suicide bomb on a southbound Piccadilly Line between King's Cross and Russell Square at 8.49am.
Later, a bomb was also detonated on a bus at Tavistock Square at 9.47am - an hour after the other explosions.
Hasib Hussain boarded the number 30 bus and detonated his device at the rear of the upper deck, tearing the vehicle apart as it passed the British Medical Association.
How many people died during the 7/7 bombings?
In total, 52 people - all UK residents of 18 different nationalities - were killed and more than 700 injured in the bombings.
Here's a breakdown of the fatalities:
- Russell Square - 26 people
- Tavistock Square (bus) - 13 people
- Aldgate - 7 people
- Edgware Road - 6 people
The victims were aged between 20 and 60, with an average age of 34.
Of the 52 fatalities, 32 were British including a couple of 14 years, as well as several foreign-born British nationals, foreign exchange students and parents.
The majority of them lived in or near London and some of the victims had boarded trains or buses they wouldn't normally get due to train delays already on the network.
A memorial to honour victims of the Tavistock Square bombings was unveiled on September 12.
Who were the London bombers?
The four suicide bombers were later identified and named after the attack as:
- Mohammed Sidique Khan, 30, from Beeston, Leeds. He was married with a young child and worked as a learning mentor at a primary school.
- Shehzad Tanweer, 22, lived in Leeds with his parents and worked in a fish and chip shop.
- Germaine Lindsay, 19, lived in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, with his pregnant wife and young son before detonating his suicide device at Russell Square.
- Hasib Hussain, 18, was the youngest terrorist and was from Leeds, where he lived with his brother and sister-in-law.
7/7 BOMBINGS
Khan, Tanweer and Hussain were British-born sons of Pakistani immigrants and Lindsay was a convert born in Jamaica.
None of the bombers were previously known to authorities.
Two of the attackers - Khan and Tanweer - made videotaped statements describing their reasons for becoming what they called "soldiers".
They were edited after the attacks to mention al-Qaeda members, including Osama Bin Laden, and the British government said the bombers did not have direct contact with the terrorist organisation.