7 July 2005 London bombings - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Overview

The 7 July 2005 London bombings (often referred to as 7/7) were a series of co-ordinated suicide attack

Suicide attack

A suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...

s in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

's public transport

Public transport

Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...

system during the morning rush hour

Rush hour

A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...

.

On the morning of Thursday, 7 July 2005, four terrorists detonated four bombs, three in quick succession aboard London Underground

London Underground

The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...

trains across the city and, later, a fourth on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square

Tavistock Square

Tavistock Square is a public square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden with a fine garden.-Public art:The centre-piece of the gardens is a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, which was installed in 1968....

. Fifty-two people, as well as the four bombers, were killed in the attacks, and over 700 more were injured.

The explosions were caused by homemade organic peroxide

Organic peroxide

Organic peroxides are organic compounds containing the peroxide functional group . If the R' is hydrogen, the compound is called an organic hydroperoxide. Peresters have general structure RCOOR. The O-O bond easily breaks and forms free radicals of the form RO·...

-based devices packed into rucksacks.

Unanswered Questions

What is the connection between these bombings and 9/11?

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Quotations

- Prince William of Wales|Prince William of Wales, on tour in New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions|British and Irish Lions said, "At this time I'm sure that I'm joined by New Zealanders and Lions supporters alike in extending to the families and loved ones of all those directly involved, my heartfelt sympathies."

- Andrew, Duke of York|The Duke of York visited the Transport for London|Transport for London staff and the Metropolitan Police|Metropolitan Police at CentreComm, the London Buses Command and Control Complex in Buckingham Palace Road on July 8. The Duke met staff who co-ordinated the transport network in London following the attacks, and praised Londoners for their reactions, saying "The way that Londoners pulled together yesterday was quite extraordinary."

- Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester|The Duke and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester|Duchess of Gloucester visited the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on July 9 to meet victims of the attack and to thank staff.

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