Terrorist attacks in the UK in the summer of 2007

At the end of June 2007, terrorist attacks with car bombs in the British capital London were thwarted. An attack on Glasgow Airport in Scotland failed, killing one of the attackers and injuring five passers-by.

Car bombs in London

The British police had a double fence with June 29, 2007 car bombings in London defeat.

First car bomb on Tiger Tiger

Police were alerted at 1:00 a.m. when suspicious smoke was emitted from a car parked near Piccadilly Circus . In the car parked in front of the Tiger Tiger nightclub on Haymarket Street, officers discovered several gas bottles, petrol and nails. Next to it was a cell phone prepared as a detonator.

Second car bomb in Hyde Park

At 3:00 p.m., police cordoned off Park Lane near Hyde Park because of a second suspicious car. This vehicle had recently been towed for no parking near Haymarket. Since gas escaped from the car, the police examined this vehicle with the help of a robot and at around 10:00 p.m. Scotland Yard confirmed that this was also a bomb.

Both cars were Mercedes sedans stocked with gas bottles, gasoline, and nails scattered on the floor. The cell phones, which were intended as detonators, were called twice after they had already been separated from the bombs. In addition, technical problems with remote ignition by mobile phone prevented the explosions.

Attack on Glasgow Airport

On June 30, 2007, two terrorists attempted to drive a burning SUV into the main terminal of Glasgow International Airport . The driver caught fire and was admitted to hospital with severe burns, where he died about a month later. In addition to the assassin, five passers-by with injuries were taken to local hospitals. The airport has been evacuated and all flights have been canceled.

→ Main article: Attempted attack on Glasgow International Airport

Reactions to the attempted terrorist attacks

After the failed attacks in London and the attack in Glasgow, streets were blocked off over the course of the weekend because of suspicious parcels and vehicles. In addition, on Monday, July 2nd, 2007, two vehicles were detonated in a controlled manner by the police near the Royal Alexandra Hospital in the nearby city of Paisley . Liverpool Airport was also briefly evacuated. In all cases, however, it was a question of false alarms .

On the evening of June 30, 2007 the British government critically declared the highest terror warning level . The security measures at all UK airports and train stations were then increased. The USA has also tightened its security precautions at some airports due to the incidents in England and Scotland .

According to the police, there is a clear connection between the foiled terrorist attacks in London and the attack in Glasgow: the terrorists responsible for the attempted attack in Glasgow are also responsible for the foiled car bomb attacks in London. There were flammable materials and gas bottles in all three vehicles. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown assumes that al-Qaeda or a related organization is behind the acts .

backgrounds

Two weeks before the failed attacks in the British capital, London nightclubs were warned by the authorities of possible car bomb attacks. According to unconfirmed media reports, the following message appeared in the Internet discussion forum El Hesbah before the attempted attack : "Today I say: Rejoice, by Allah, London is to be bombed." According to The Times and the US, a man named Abu Osama al-Hazeen is believed to be -Sender CBS as the author of the communication. The report also addresses the outrage among Muslims over the accolade of the author Salman Rushdie .

Arrest of suspects and trial

In addition to the two Glasgow bombers Kafeel Ahmed and Bilal Abdullah, six other suspects were arrested. Three of the suspects are doctors. Sabeel Ahmed, the brother of the killed assassin Kafeel, was sentenced to 18 months in prison a good eight months after the failed attacks. According to the judiciary, the doctor from Bangalore , India , who works in the north-west of England, withheld important information from the police. In December 2008, the Iraqi Bilal Abdullah was sentenced to two life imprisonment; The doctor, whom the judge called a religious extremist and fanatic , has been imprisoned for at least 32 years on charges of conspiracy to lead to the June 2007 attacks .

swell

Barely escaped the disaster - stern.de, July 1, 2007
Memminger Zeitung from Monday, July 2nd, 2007
Great Britain: Iraqis must be imprisoned for 32 years for attempted attacks - spiegel.de, December 17, 2008