Essay on London Bombings on July 7th

Terrorism refers to unlawful violent acts that are committed against civilians. Its harmful effects are evident when it leads to loss of lives, injuries, and destruction of properties. This paper depicts a key terrorist attack that took place in the 21st century in London.

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Event Summary

The London bombings were witnessed on 7th July 2005. During this event, there were explosions involving four bombs. Three of them occurred underground the trains area while the fourth bomb hit a bus in Tavistock Square. Two weeks after this incident, London incurred other four attacks that paralyzed the public system of transportation (Saul, 2012). The latter event happened in the afternoon on a bus at the Oval station. Another one was targeted at the Warren Street in London. Reports indicate that approximately 52 citizens were killed in these terrorist attacks. Furthermore, at least 700 civilians got injuries in the process. The bombers were armed with rucksacks which had plenty of explosives.

Background of Individuals/Group who conducted the Attack

The journey of the bombers started at 04:00 BST, and it incorporated four people who formed a group. They included Hasib Hussain aged 18years, Mohammad Sidique Khan 30 years and a 22-year-old Shehzad Tanweer. Reports indicate that they departed Leeds West Yorkshire in a car that they had hired. They drove to Luton Bedfordshire where they met their fourth partner named as Germaine Lindsay, aged 19 years old. This happened before they headed to central London using a train. It was at this point when the four terrorists implanted the explosives bombs on a double decker bus and underground the train station. The ringleader of this group was Mohammad Sidique Khan.

Hasib Hussain

He is a second generation citizen of Britain, and his parent's origin is from Pakistani. He grew up on the outskirts of Leeds in a place known as Holbeck. He is the last born in a family of four, and he stayed with his parents until when they passed on. In July 2003, Hussain had achieved seven GCSEs before he left school. A month before the bombing incident, he went to pursue a business course and completed it. His social life revolved around youth clubs, gyms, and mosques in the neighboring Beeston District. In 2004, he signed into Khan Jihadist and went to stay at Chapeltown. He later went on a trip to London where he claimed that he was going to visit friends and ended up being part of the attack (Stout, 2002).

Mohammad Sidique Khan

He was the oldest accomplice among the four. Khan was a married man with one child. Reports indicate that he was responsible for taking the lead during the attack. This individual was born on 20th October 1974 in Leeds. In their family, he was the youngest of the six siblings, and he grew up in Beeston. Khan was an alumnus of Leeds Metropolitan University where he enrolled for a degree in business. At the University, he developed the desire to assist the less privileged youth and also participated in part-time community roles. In 2001, he was employed and became a devoted Islamic follower. Before the attack, Khan and Tanweer were perceived to have connections with al-Qaeda network.

Shehzad Tanweer

This person was born in Bradford and spent most of his life in Beeston. He graduated from University after pursuing a course in sports science. In 2004, he became arrested and cautioned for behaving in a disorderly manner. A few months before the attack, Tanweer was known to have links with the al-Qaeda. According to his uncle, he claimed that his nephew coordinated with Khan to execute the plans for this attack.

Germaine Lindsay

This member of the terrorist gang was born outside the UK. His background indicates that he was good in sports and successful in academics (Senauth, 2007). Lindsay was not exposed to a stable life at his home in Jamaica. During his teenage life, he was interested in kickboxing and martial arts. In 2000, Lindsay and his mother became Muslims, and he changed his name to Jamal. From this point, he began hanging out with al-Qaeda hence became an accomplice in the 2005 attack in London.

Impact of the Event

Analyzing the 7th July 2005 terrorist attack in London, it is clear that the four criminals who planned it killed themselves during the incident. Approximately 52 people died in this event, and 700 victims got injured while boarding the public transport system in London. This form of an attack had been expected, but it terrified citizens because it was planned internally. Reports reveal that this violent act was suicidal because it affected the health of survivors both physically and psychologically.

After this terrorist attack, the British government took the initiative of protecting families of the victims and individuals who had survived the blast. They embraced peaceful ways by avoiding anger reaction towards the British Muslims. They did this to restore friendly relations in the society. The attack further made the British administration to avoid long-term implications that could further lead to more severe attacks in future. The occurrence of this terrorism act made Muslim leaders converge, and they discussed how they were devastated when their religion was linked to violence. During such moment of crisis, the British Muslims vowed to enhance unity by not permitting extremists to separate citizens in London.

References

Senauth, F. (2007). A morning of terror: The London bombings on July 7th, 2005. Denver, Colo: Outskirts Press.

Stout, C. E. (2002). The psychology of terrorism: Volume III. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Taylor, M., Horgan, J., & Future Developments in Terrorism Conference. (2000). The future of terrorism. London: Frank Cass.

Henderson, H. (2001). Terrorism. New York: Facts on File.

Saul, B. (2012). Terrorism. Oxford: Hart Pub.