The 7/7 London Bombings: A complete timeline of events

The 7/7 London bombings remain the deadliest terrorist strike on British soil, killing 52 commuters and injuring more than 700 during the morning rush hour of July 7, 2005. Four home-grown extremists detonated backpack devices on three Tube trains and a double-decker bus, paralysing the capital and triggering one of the largest manhunts in UK history.

Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers revisits those 21 frantic days in a four-part Netflix docuseries that premieres on July 1, 2025. All episodes follow Netflix’s standard global drop at midnight PT. The series is directed by Liza Williams and produced by The Garden, with executive producers Zac Beattie and Flavia Taylor.

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7/7 London bombings timeline

8:50 am - Three near-simultaneous explosions rip through underground trains at Aldgate, Edgware Road, and between King’s Cross and Russell Square, halting the network within minutes. As per an ABC News report dated July 7, 2005, the blasts occur “within 50 seconds of one another,” overwhelming first responders who initially suspect a power surge.

09:33–10:02 a.m. - London Underground suspends all services; Scotland Yard declares a “major incident” while emergency teams race to dark, smoke-filled tunnels.

10:14–10:23 a.m. - A fourth device destroys the No. 30 bus in Tavistock Square, scattering debris across Bloomsbury. Witnesses described that half the double-decker bus was lifted into the air by the explosion.

Survivors’ accounts underscore the human toll. As per The Guardian report dated November 8, 2010, injured passenger Dan Biddle told the inquest,

“He just looked down the carriage, made his arm movement, and the next thing I'm off the train,”

Recalling the explosion, he said,

“It felt like the carriage I was in expanded at a fast rate and then contracted quickly.”

Throughout the morning, paramedics, Tube staff, and ordinary passengers improvise triage stations on dark platforms. By noon, police confirm four suicide bombers: Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain, and Germaine Lindsay.

The 7/7 London bombings now dominate global headlines, and London’s transport system remains shut until the evening.

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Investigations and manhunt after the 7/7 London bombings

Detectives trace gym cards and CCTV from Leeds to Luton, linking the attackers to a Yorkshire-based cell. A second attempted plot on July 21, 2005, fails, but panic culminates in the police shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell.

According to a The Guardian report dated July 20, 2010, former MI5 chief Eliza Manningham-Buller testified to the Chilcot inquiry,

“Our involvement in Iraq radicalised a few among a generation of young people who saw [it] as an attack upon Islam.”

Her admission fuelled parliamentary scrutiny of pre-attack surveillance gaps and shaped post-incident counter-terror strategy.

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Legacy and continuing scrutiny

A six-year inquest delivered a verdict of unlawful killing for all 52 victims in the 7/7 London Bombings. As per The Guardian live report dated May 6, 2011, coroner Lady Justice Heather Hallett praised emergency crews but warned that some MI5 procedures still required reform.

Politically, the 7/7 London bombings accelerated new terror prevention legislation and reshaped public attitudes toward surveillance. As per The Guardian report dated July 11, 2005, then-Prime Minister Tony Blair told MPs,

“July 7 will always be remembered as a day of terrible sadness for our country and for London.”

Two decades later, survivor groups argue that the lessons of the 7/7 London bombings, rapid information sharing, robust victim support, and vigilant community engagement remain essential.

Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers on Netflix revisits each decision point in detail, ensuring future generations understand how a 56-minute sequence of explosions reshaped the city’s security landscape.

By presenting a meticulous chronology and first-hand voices, the series and this timeline aim to keep the memory of the 7/7 London bombings alive while clarifying how the response evolved in real time.

Edited by Niharika Dabral