by Home home
grade explosives and technologically advanced devices, it
was Clarke’s resistance to Sarkozy’s assessment that was
bewildering.[36]
The official narrative changed completely (though not for the
last time) with the discovery of the supposed bomb factory
on the 12th. The flat contained a large amount of suggested
bomb making equipment.[34] This predominantly consisted
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of normal household items such as tape, wire, gloves, hand
tools and so forth. These could have been innocuous.
There was also a number of plastic tubs, containing either a
light or dark brown mixture. At first, this was said to be
TATP (Triacetonetriperoxide).[128]
So all the initial reports, from international forensic
explosives experts and senior investigators, on the ground at
the scenes of the bombings, stating the detection of military
grade explosives technology at all four bomb sites, simply
disappeared. TATP was next reported as the explosive used.
This story stood for a couple of years or so. Then, like
C4/RDX before it, it just vanished from the tale, to be
replaced with a home-made explosive no chemist or
explosives expert could identify.
At the inquest this ‘brown sludge’ mixture of Hydrogen
Peroxide and Piperine was finally established to be the
explosive used. Though, as we are about to discover, you
might ask why.
Investigators claimed to have found DNA and fingerprints
from the bombers all over the Leeds flat. Suggesting the
suicide bombers had little interest in hiding their activities. If
they intended to kill themselves, why would they? This
physical evidence was only discovered on the normal,
everyday, household items.
Unfortunately, despite finding hundreds of prints and
samples, none of the alleged terrorist fingerprints or DNA
were found on any of the explosive filled containers. Hasib
Hussain’s prints were said to have been found on a small
container of the suspected initiator charge, HMDT, but not
on any of the tubs. The evidence proves their use of cutlery,
but not the alleged explosive mixture.
Other items, such as duct tape, several large batteries, an
additional ruck sack, freezer blocks, tools, fuses and wiring,
were found in the purple car. Officially this indicated the
three men, their large explosive packed rucksacks, the
additional bomb making equipment and spare explosive
devices, were all rammed into the tiny Nissan Micra.
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Why they chose to hire one of the smallest cars in Britain to
transport themselves, and all this kit, is puzzling.
Presumably saving money wasn't high on their agenda,
although Tanweer's argument over his change at Woodall
Services possibly indicated otherwise. Why not hire a van,
negating the need to fiddle with bombs, in broad view of
commuters and CCTV cameras, in a public car park, on
busy weekday morning?
While the 2006 government report stated that nothing was
known about their tickets, it later emerged the 'suicide
bombers' bought 'day returns.' So perhaps saving money
wasn't important to them after all.[78]
The only man forensically linked to the car was Mohammad
Sidique Khan. However, like the flat, no evidence was found
that he touched any of the bomb making equipment found in
the Nissan. Again, it only showed he had handled everyday
items, such as sweet wrappers and a water bottle.
Another unresolved problem is that the nameless home-
made explosive found in the car was a pure white powder.
[129] The mysterious substance found in the flat was brown.
No trace of the white material was found in the flat.
No DNA or fingerprints were found linking any of the
suspects to either the tubs of explosives or the bomb related
items found in the Nissan Micra. Given that they were keen
to be identified, it remains unexplained why this would have
been the case. All four must have been perfectly fastidious,
using gloves 100% of the time, because they had no known
reason to wipe them clean.
Tavistock Square revealed a 9v battery that showed
'superficial' signs of bomb damage. If it was used to initiate
an explosion, it survived remarkably intact. Some wiring was
found at two of the bomb sites. This was damaged by close
proximity to an explosion but was also the same wiring
commonly used in headphones.
A halogen bulb initiator, attached to a small charge of the
explosive HMTD, was supposedly found at the Alexandra
Grove address in Leeds. Explosives expert Dr Clifford Todd
expressed his opinion that this was the firing mechanism
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used for all four bombs, and the bomb makers would have
required “guidance and instruction from elsewhere.” [42]
He was involved with the investigation of the Piccadilly Line
explosion. At the inquest he confirmed that he had found no
trace of the alleged halogen bulb initiator, similar connecting
wiring or HMDT at the site.
In fact, unlike the initial identification of military grade
explosives at every single bomb scene, no trace of the
suggested 'improvised explosive' was found at any of the
bomb locations. The residue of the supposed initiating
charge, HMTD, was found at 3 of the sites, but in such
insignificant quantities its origins couldn't be determined.
In addition to the absence of any DNA or finger print
evidence, linking the four to the handling of the home-made
explosive, there was no chemical evidence which
demonstrated the suggested explosive compound was even
used in any of the bombings. Consequently, proof of the
four's involvement in the crime was reliant upon forensic
evidence which was consistent with their bodies being
closest to the blasts.
Following 9/11, the British Government devised its ‘Mass
Fatality Plan’ (MFP.) This envisaged rapidly constructing
temporary medical facilities in response to incidents
involving large scale loss of life.
On July 6th 2005, the day before the 7/7 terrorist attacks,
Losberger De Boer[131] finalised their MFP construction
contract with the UK government. By sheer coincidence, the
very next day, they were tasked with erecting the ‘Resilience
Mortuary’ in the grounds of the British Military’s Honourable
Artillery Company (HAC)[133] to receive the 7/7 victims. It is
not known why this was considered necessary for 56
corpses. The MFP wasn’t set to be triggered unless more
than 500 bodies required storage and local mortuaries had
sufficient capacity.
The main purpose, and a legal requirement of a coroner's
inquest, is to ascertain who the deceased were, where and
when they died, and the causes of their deaths. Remarkably,
Lady Justice Hallett ruled out any consideration of the way
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death was determined at the scenes. She decided it was
'outside of the scope' of the proceedings. That only 15
victims were pronounced ‘life extinct’ at the scenes, was left
unchallenged. Despite it being apparent that at least 18, who
died, survived for some time after the explosions.
Identification was also hindered by the fact that none of the
56 deceased people underwent internal post-mortems at the
newly constructed Resilience Mortuary. This is normally a
vital step in the forensic analysis of such attacks, and a
standard method for establishing cause of death. The
mapping of the injuries can assist investigators in locating
the epicentre of the blast. Furthermore, the explosive used
could possibly have been identified by examining the
remains. Yet, in each and every case, this essential
investigatory procedure was overlooked.
Instead, at great expense, Colonel Mahoney, defence
professor of anaesthesia and critical care at the Royal Centre
for Defence Medicine in Birmingham, had to construct
medical ‘models’ of the deceased who initially survived the
blasts. This unfathomable Ministry of Defence process threw
up some stark anomalies.
To reconstruct the potential blast force of the bombs, Colonel
Mahoney had to assume the explosive used was TNT. This
was because the explosive supposedly used in the attacks
was unknown to science. No one had any idea what kind of
energetic forces it could exert, or even if it would reliably
explode. Having made several attempts to blow it up,
investigators were only successful on one occasion. So the
alleged terrorists 100% detonation success rate was
surprising, even extraordinary.
Furthermore, not only were their no autopsies, no X-rays
were provided for Colonel Mahoney to model bone damage.
Nor did he know where the victims were, within the
carriages, when the bombs detonated. This strongly
indicated that he hadn’t seen any footage from the trains’
internal CCTV. If footage showing the suicide bombers in the
trains existed, why wasn’t it shown to the team tasked with
‘modelling’ the injuries? Or the inquest for that matter.
At the inquest, pathologist Dr Awani Choudhary was asked
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to testify about his recollection of the Tavistock Square
bombing, where he tried to save the life of Gladys Wundowa.
Dr Choudhary stated he would need to see the autopsy
results in order to confirm his own assessment of her
injuries at the scene.
He was then informed that there were no internal post-
mortems. Clearly shocked Dr Choudhary said:
“I’m absolutely sure that she had internal
injury as well as a spinal injury, and I’m
absolutely surprised that a post-mortem has
not been done through and through.”
In reply, Andrew O'Connor, junior council to the inquests,
said:
“Well, Mr Choudhary, that isn't a matter to
concern you.....I was simply informing you
so that we didn't chase any red herrings,
but we don't need to concern ourselves
about that matter.”
Post-mortem examinations aren't normally considered 'red
herrings' at coroner's inquests.
In the unexplained, dumbfounding absence of this basic
procedure, the police were forced to rely upon a combination
of survivor accounts and other physical evidence. This led to
total confusion.
The evidence relating to the underground bomb damage was
baffling. Many of the survivors were asked to draw sketches
of their recollections of seating positions and the damage
caused to the carriages. From these statements and
sketches, combined with physical evidence, the police
produced CGI diagrams of the carriages and the bus at the
inquest. These diagrams raised a number of issues.
Let's consider just a few.
Tanweer was said to be standing by the rear doors of the
carriage with the rucksack on the floor, at his feet, before
detonating his bomb at Liverpool Street. The police diagram
showed the bomb placed in a standing area. Eyewitness
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Bruce Lait gave a press statement which partly confirmed
the police account but also raised further questions:
“ The policeman said 'mind that hole, that's
where the bomb was'. The metal was
pushed upwards as if the bomb was
underneath the train. They seem to think the
bomb was left in a bag, but I don't remember
anybody being where the bomb was, or any
bag.”
Lait was called to give evidence to the inquest but wasn't
asked if he saw Tanweer or his bomb, which he didn't.
Another survivor Michael Henning was called to confirm his
alleged sighting of Tanweer. In the CCTV footage taken at
Luton and Kings Cross, Tanweer was wearing dark
tracksuits bottoms, a white sports top and a dark Jacket,
apparently having changed his trousers. Henning described
Tanweer as follows:
“An Asian man wearing some sort of white
or cream light coloured clothing.”
Adding:
“I couldn't say with great detail his features
etc. It's more those soft focus of the people
you normally see on the tube and haven't
paid attention to.”
This didn't in any way constitute a positive identification of
Tanweer.
An off duty police woman, Elizabeth Kenworthy was in the
next carriage. Following the blast, in one of the many acts of
incredible bravery that day, she crawled into the devastation
to try to save people’s lives. The sketch she drew showed a
large hole in the floor in front of Tanweer's suggested
position but it also showed a second hole, in keeping with
Bruce Lait's account. She also stated the damaged metal
around the hole was “twisted upwards,” suggesting a bomb
beneath the carriage. As a trained police officer, her
eyewitness testimony can perhaps be considered among the
most reliable.
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The official account stated that each and every bomber
removed their rucksacks and placed them on the floor. The
injuries inflicted, predominantly to lower limbs, were
consistent with detonations at ground level. The injuries
were also consistent with bombs placed underneath the
carriages, or possibly on the tracks. As was the damage to
the carriages, which also indicated the use of more than just
the four identified devices.
Ray Whitehurst, the driver of the Edgware Road train, was
among the many witnesses who stated he experienced the
carriage being 'lifted' into the air. Again suggesting possible
bombs beneath rather than inside the carriages. He told the
inquest:
''I felt the front of the carriage raise and it was
as if I had hit a brick wall,"
/>
In order to maximise the carnage, suicide bombers usually
keep the explosives on their bodies and stand when they
detonate. Had the 7/7 'terrorists' done so the explosions
would have undoubtedly killed many more than they did. No
account was offered to explain why all four mass murderers
apparently took steps to minimise the death count. No
manual trigger mechanisms were found, so the necessity for
them to place their bombs on the floor wasn't established.
On the Piccadilly Line, it was claimed that Jermaine
Lindsay's was 'unlikely' to have been seated. He was in a
packed carriage of 127 commuters. Yet he too removed his
rucksack and placed it on the floor of the carriage in the
standing area between the second and third set of seats.
Russell Square's Station Supervisor described another hole
in the floor, and the roof, towards the rear of the carriage.
Inconsistent with a single, ground level bomb.
Probably compounded by the lack of internal autopsies, the
police said it was 'difficult' to determine where everyone was
situated when the blasts occurred. Though the main police
diagram showed the location of the bomb as described, no
locations for the deceased were initially given.
A separate police diagram did give these locations and
recorded Lindsay's body as being at the back of the carriage,
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some distance away from the bomb. This was corroborated
by D.I Brunsden who stated he found Lindsay, and a
number of identifying documents, in the spot near the rear
of the carriage. This seems odd given where the bomb was
supposedly detonated.
If the official account is correct, Jermaine Lindsay got on to
the crowded train, scattered his document on the floor,
fought his way through the packed carriage, while wearing a
large rucksack, placed his rucksack on the floor then blew
himself up, killing 26 other people. This single blast caused
multiple craters both in the floor and the roof of the carriage
in at least two different locations, some distance apart.
Despite the carriage being packed solid, his body was
somehow blown through the crowd of survivors to the rear of
the carriage. Coincidentally it landed in the same place he
had previously scattered his documents (consisting of his
driving licence, passport, and a certificate of phone
insurance with his name on it.)
Unfortunately, not a single surviving witness remembered