21 July 2005 London bombings

On 21 July, 2005, four attempted bomb attacks disrupted part of London's public transport system two weeks after the 7 July 2005 London bombings. The explosions occurred around midday at Shepherd's Bush, Warren Street and Oval stations on London Underground, and on a bus in Bethnal Green. It has been reported that a fifth bomber dumped his device without attempting to set it off http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article//0,,22989-1714245,00.html.

Related Topics:
21 July - 2005 - London - Public transport - 7 July 2005 London bombings - Shepherd's Bush - Warren Street - Oval - London Underground - Bethnal Green

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Connecting lines and stations were closed and evacuated. Metropolitan Police later said the intention was to cause large-scale loss of life, but only the detonators of the bombs exploded, probably causing the popping sounds reported by witnesses, and no one was injured. The bombers escaped; subsequent arrests the same day were later described by police as "totally unconnected" with the explosions.

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The following day, Friday 22 July, the London Metropolitan Police shot and killed a man later found to have no involvement with the explosions, and not connected to any criminal group. He was identified as Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian electrician. He had arrived in Britain on a tourist visa, and then remained on a student visa, but according to the Home Office this had expired over two years before his death. An inquest into the shooting was opened on 25 July.

Related Topics:
22 July - Jean Charles de Menezes - Brazil - 25 July

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Also on Friday 22 July, CCTV images of four suspects wanted in connection with the bombings were released http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4703853.stm. Two of the men shown in these images were identified by police on Monday 25 July as Muktar Said Ibrahim and Yasin Hassan Omar http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4694069.stm. A manhunt, described by the Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Ian Blair as "the largest ever investigation that the Met has ever mounted" was started http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4719945.stm.

Related Topics:
22 July - CCTV - 25 July - Muktar Said Ibrahim - Yasin Hassan Omar - Ian Blair

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By 29 July, police had arrested all four of the main bombing suspects from the 21 July attempted bombings. Yasin Hassan Omar was arrested by police on 27 July, in Birmingham. On 29 July, two more suspects were reported as having been arrested in London, and a fourth suspect, Osman Hussein, was reported as having been arrested in Rome, Italy. According to these reports, all four known suspected bombers have now been arrested, although police are still looking for other possible gang members http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13397188,00.html, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4727975.stm. Police have also arrested numerous other people in the course of their investigations.

Related Topics:
Birmingham - Osman Hussein - Rome

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By 8 August, charges had been brought against the three bombing suspects held in UK custody.

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Timings in this article are approximate and in BST.

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