It’s been almost 20 years since the London bombings claimed the lives of 52 people on a warm morning during rush hour in the capital.
On July 7, 2005, three suicide bombers struck the Underground network near Aldgate, Edgware Road, and Russell Square, while a fourth device was detonated on a London bus in a devastating coordinated attack that came to be known as the 7/7 bombings.
More than 770 people were also injured in the traumatic ordeal.
A lot has changed in the last 20 years, including ramped-up security and transport monitoring to ensure that Londoners can feel safe as they travel around the city.
But there has never been a formal public enquiry into what happened. Why is that?
What happened in London on 7/7?
On July 7, 2005, a major incident was declared in the centre of London after four terrorist bombers detonated explosive devices across various public transport links.
The four men behind the attack had all grown up in Britain and had displayed increasingly extremist Islamic views before being recruited to carry out the bombings.
Around 8:50am on July 7, three of four suicide bombers detonated their devices on London Underground trains that had just left King’s Cross.
Two of the Islamic extremists detonated their devices on the Circle Line, while a third exploded on a train travelling on the Piccadilly Line, which proved to be the deadliest of the three.
Almost an hour later, a fourth suicide bomber detonated his device on a double-decker London bus near Tavistock Square, killing 13 more people.
A total of 52 people, including the four attackers, were killed during the devastating incident, sending shockwaves around the capital and the world.
Several weeks later, on July 21, four more Islamic extremists attempted to detonate explosives on the London transport network, but the devices failed, and no injuries were reported.
Calls for a public inquiry following 7/7
As the capital reeled from the devastating incidents of July 2005, it also coincided with mounting calls for a formal public inquiry into what happened and what lessons could be learned.
A Freedom of Information document released by the Home Office directly after the attack claimed there was “fear that an inquiry may undermine current efforts to bring perpetrators to book”. Tony Blair, then the UK’s prime minister, said that an inquest would be a “ludicrous diversion”.
Instead, a number of internal reviews, inquests and significant investigations followed, such as the Coroner’s Inquest led by Lady Justice Hallett and an investigation by the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), among others.
The Coroner’s Inquest that took place in 2011 is often referred to as the 7/7 inquest, and it concluded that there were some shortcomings in responses to the attacks. However, a judge ruled out that MI5 was to blame after failing to track the terrorists earlier.
Many changes have been implemented around London following the attacks too, including more bollards and attack deterrents and improved communications across London’s transport networks.
Unlike the Coroner’s Inquest, public inquiries look at broader systemic failings and investigate issues of wider public concern. In the past few years, there have been multiple public inquiries, such as the Grenfell Tower inquiry and the Post Office scandal inquiry. However, almost two decades on from the devastating event, there has still never been a formal public enquiry into the 7/7 bombings.
Dan Biddle, a survivor from the 7/7 bombings who lost both of his legs in the incident, reiterated his call for justice just last month and urged the government to launch a public inquiry into the incident.
“A public inquiry won’t give me my legs back. It won’t give me my eye back,” he told the Sunday Mirror. “But I’d have a sense of justice that somebody has been held accountable.
“Khan got what he wanted. I’m living the life sentence he and the others should be serving. It’s time for answers.”
For now, there hasn’t been any official update as to whether a public inquiry into the 7/7 bombings will come.
What memorials are taking place to mark 7/7?
As London heads towards 20 years since the devastating 7/7 bombings, the upcoming anniversary will likely be marked by various memorials around the capital as people remember those lost and how it impacted their lives.
According to the London Assembly, there will be a “service of commemoration and other appropriate activities for those directly connected to the incident” on July 7 this year.
Although this appears to be an invite-only online event, there will also be a live streaming video that begins at 11:30, where people can tune in and observe the memorial.
