July 2005 London bombings
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The July 2005 London bombings were two synchronised sets of four terrorist bomb attacks on London's public transport system. The first attacks on 7 July were suicide bombings which killed fifty-six people, including four suspected bombers, and injured about 700. The second set on 21 July were apparently failed suicide bombing attempts with viable bombs which failed to explode. In each case there were three attacks on the London Underground and one on a London bus in the four cardinal directions, said to be intended to draw a fiery cross on the map of London.
The attacks are described in detail in the articles 7 July 2005 London bombings and 21 July 2005 London bombings.
Effects
Security alerts
Although there were security alerts at many locations, no other terrorist incidents occurred outside central London. Suspicious packages were destroyed in controlled explosions in Birmingham, Brighton, Coventry, Edinburgh, Luton, Darlington and Swindon. Security across the UK was raised to the highest alert level.
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Many other countries raised their own terror alert status (for example United States, France, and Germany), especially for public transport. For a time US commanders ordered troops based in the UK to avoid London.
In the heightened security on the London Underground, on 22 July 2005 Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes was mistaken for a suicide bomber and shot dead by armed police at Stockwell tube station. He was not acting suspiciously or carrying any explosives or weapons though he ran when asked to stop; it was a case of mistaken identity.