21 July 2005 London bombings trial
Encyclopedia
On 15 January 2007 six men appeared at Woolwich Crown Court
in connection with the alleged 21 July 2005 London bombings
on London
public transport.
On 9 July 2007 the jury found Muktar Said Ibrahim, Yassin Omar, Hussain Osman, and Ramzi Mohammed guilty of conspiracy to murder, and each were sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that they should serve a minimum of 40 years. The jury failed to agree verdicts on two other defendants, and a retrial started on 12 November 2007.
plot to cause deadly explosions similar to those which killed over 50 people on 7 July
. It was alleged that they made explosive devices at the home of Mr Omar. Muktar Said Ibrahim, Yassin Omar, Hussein Osman and Ramzi Mohammed were all accused of attempted suicide bombings and Sweeney claimed on the second day of the trial that Manfo Kwaku Asiedu "lost his nerve at the last moment".
In rejecting these claims the prosecution pointed to the apparent lack of planning for the aftermath of the explosions. The attempted bombers did not contact media organisations, and dispersed by various routes that showed no prior planning.
Mr Yahya claimed that the reason he and his co-defendants had purchased large quantities of hydrogen peroxide
was to bleach wood.
The court was shown surveillance photographs of five of the accused on a camping trip in the lake district. It is said that the men were running up and down the hill in an "organised way".
In the second week of the trial the jury was told that almost 200 hydrogen peroxide bottles were found in bins at the block of flats where the suspects are accused of making the devices. The prosecution claims that fingerprints belonging to defendants were found on the bottles.
The jury were shown two videos which were allegedly found in homes of the defendants: footage on the tapes shows an alleged "jihad rap video" and filming of the beheading of an unidentified victim. Another tape showed what appeared to be instructions of how to make a suicide bomb vest.
An expert from the government's Forensic Explosives Laboratory told the court that particles of an explosive substance were found at the home of Ramzi Mohammed. The expert explained that the explosive could be made at home with the right knowledge.
Film showing a mixture of flour and hydrogen peroxide bubbling and smoking at Shepherd's Bush Tube station was shown in court. The prosecution alleges that this mixture was intended to explode.
CCTV footage showing Mr Asiedu at an amusement arcade on 21 July was shown to the jury.
Woolwich Crown Court
Woolwich Crown Court, located at 2 Belmarsh Road, Thamesmead is one of twelve Crown Courts serving Greater London.It stands adjacent to both HM Prison Belmarsh and Belmarsh Magistrate's Court. Operational from 1993, it has 7 courtrooms and deals with more than 750 cases a year. Until recently,...
in connection with the alleged 21 July 2005 London bombings
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 Shoreditch...
on London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
public transport.
On 9 July 2007 the jury found Muktar Said Ibrahim, Yassin Omar, Hussain Osman, and Ramzi Mohammed guilty of conspiracy to murder, and each were sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that they should serve a minimum of 40 years. The jury failed to agree verdicts on two other defendants, and a retrial started on 12 November 2007.
Convicted defendants
- Muktar Said IbrahimMuktar Said IbrahimMuktar Said Ibrahim , also known as Muktar Mohammed Said, has been found guilty of involvement in the attempted July 21 attacks on London's public transport system. He attempted to detonate a device on a London bus and was arrested sharing an apartment with the also guilty Ramzi Mohammed on 29...
, of Stoke Newington, was convicted of attempting to detonate an explosive device on a bus in HackneyLondon Borough of HackneyThe London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 40 years.
- Yasin Hassan OmarYasin Hassan OmarYasin Hassan Omar was convicted for his role in the attempted 21st July attacks on London's public transport system. He was found guilty of attempting to detonate a device on the London Underground Victoria Line tube train between Warren Street and Oxford Circus tube stations...
, a SomaliaSomaliaSomalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
national, was convicted of attempting to detonate a bomb on a London UndergroundLondon UndergroundThe London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
train near Warren Street station, and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 40 years.
- Hussein Osman, of StockwellStockwellStockwell is a district in inner south west London, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth.It is situated south south-east of Charing Cross. Brixton, Clapham, Vauxhall and Kennington all border Stockwell...
, south London, was convicted of attempting to detonate a bomb on a train near Shepherds Bush, and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 40 years.
- Ramzi MohammedRamzi MohammedA Somali National, Ramzi Mohammed is a convicted bomber in the attempted London bombing of July 21st 2005.Ramzi is currently serving 40 years for conspiracy to murder on the Oval tube station train. He was arrested sharing an apartment with Muktar Said Ibrahim on 29 July 2005, amid allegations...
, of North Kensington, west London, was convicted of attempting to cause an explosion on a train near Oval tube stationOval tube stationOval tube station in Kennington is a station on the Northern line of the London Underground between Stockwell and Kennington stations. It is the only station on the Morden branch of the Northern line whose name begins with a vowel and is one of only two stations on the London Underground with only...
, and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 40 years.
Retrial
- Manfo Kwaku Asiedu was accused of involvement in the plot, and dumping his bomb in a London park after changing his mind about detonating his device. He was later sentenced to 33 years in prison.
- Adel YahyaAdel YahyaAdel Yahya is one of six men convicted in connection with alleged attempted bombings in London on 21st July 2005.He was accused of assisting in the planning of the attacks but not of actually attempting to detonate a bomb himself. At his original trial the jury failed to reach a verdict...
, of TottenhamTottenhamTottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
, was accused of assisting his co-defendants in planning the attacks. He later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.
The allegations
Nigel Sweeney QC, barrister for the prosecution alleged that the defendants were part of an extremist MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
plot to cause deadly explosions similar to those which killed over 50 people on 7 July
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
. It was alleged that they made explosive devices at the home of Mr Omar. Muktar Said Ibrahim, Yassin Omar, Hussein Osman and Ramzi Mohammed were all accused of attempted suicide bombings and Sweeney claimed on the second day of the trial that Manfo Kwaku Asiedu "lost his nerve at the last moment".
The defendants' claims
Hussein Osman claimed that the device he set off on an underground train was a hoax and was not intended to injure passengers. His claim was that is was a protest against the war in Iraq. This claim was also made by Yassin Omar towards the end of the trial.In rejecting these claims the prosecution pointed to the apparent lack of planning for the aftermath of the explosions. The attempted bombers did not contact media organisations, and dispersed by various routes that showed no prior planning.
Mr Yahya claimed that the reason he and his co-defendants had purchased large quantities of hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is the simplest peroxide and an oxidizer. Hydrogen peroxide is a clear liquid, slightly more viscous than water. In dilute solution, it appears colorless. With its oxidizing properties, hydrogen peroxide is often used as a bleach or cleaning agent...
was to bleach wood.
Evidence shown
The court was shown what appeared to be a suicide note written by Muktar Said Ibrahim.The court was shown surveillance photographs of five of the accused on a camping trip in the lake district. It is said that the men were running up and down the hill in an "organised way".
In the second week of the trial the jury was told that almost 200 hydrogen peroxide bottles were found in bins at the block of flats where the suspects are accused of making the devices. The prosecution claims that fingerprints belonging to defendants were found on the bottles.
The jury were shown two videos which were allegedly found in homes of the defendants: footage on the tapes shows an alleged "jihad rap video" and filming of the beheading of an unidentified victim. Another tape showed what appeared to be instructions of how to make a suicide bomb vest.
An expert from the government's Forensic Explosives Laboratory told the court that particles of an explosive substance were found at the home of Ramzi Mohammed. The expert explained that the explosive could be made at home with the right knowledge.
Film showing a mixture of flour and hydrogen peroxide bubbling and smoking at Shepherd's Bush Tube station was shown in court. The prosecution alleges that this mixture was intended to explode.
CCTV footage showing Mr Asiedu at an amusement arcade on 21 July was shown to the jury.
Key figures in the trial
14 barristers were involved in the trial. Some of the key people were:- Mr Justice FulfordAdrian FulfordSir Adrian Bruce Fulford , styled The Hon. Mr Justice Fulford, is a British judge, and currently a member of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.-Early life:...
, the trial judge is a member of the high court and one of 18 judges that preside at the International Criminal Court.
- Nigel Sweeney QCNigel SweeneySir Nigel Hamilton Sweeney , styled The Hon. Mr Justice Sweeney, is a High Court judge.Previously he was a barrister in the United Kingdom, practising from 6 King's Bench Walk...
, Main barristerBarristerA barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
for the prosecution.
- George Carter-Stephenson QC, barrister representing Muktar Said Ibrahim
- Stephen Kamlish QC, barrister for Manfu Kwaku Asiedu
- Anthony Jennings QC, barrister for Hussein Osman
- Peter Carter QC, barrister For Yassin Omar
- Stephen Williamson QC, barrister for Ramzi Mohammed
- Peter Thornton QC, barrister for Adel Yahya.
See also
- Muktar Said IbrahimMuktar Said IbrahimMuktar Said Ibrahim , also known as Muktar Mohammed Said, has been found guilty of involvement in the attempted July 21 attacks on London's public transport system. He attempted to detonate a device on a London bus and was arrested sharing an apartment with the also guilty Ramzi Mohammed on 29...
- Manfo Kwaku Asiedu
- Osman Hussein
- Yassin Omar
- Ramzi MohammedRamzi MohammedA Somali National, Ramzi Mohammed is a convicted bomber in the attempted London bombing of July 21st 2005.Ramzi is currently serving 40 years for conspiracy to murder on the Oval tube station train. He was arrested sharing an apartment with Muktar Said Ibrahim on 29 July 2005, amid allegations...
- Adel YahyaAdel YahyaAdel Yahya is one of six men convicted in connection with alleged attempted bombings in London on 21st July 2005.He was accused of assisting in the planning of the attacks but not of actually attempting to detonate a bomb himself. At his original trial the jury failed to reach a verdict...
- 21 July 2005 London bombings21 July 2005 London bombingsOn 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 Shoreditch...