7 July 2005 Attack on a Double-Decker Bus

9:47 a.m.- An explosion square in a No.30 double-decker bus operated by Stagecoach London, which was making its daily route from Marble Arch to Hackney Wick. The bus passed through the Kings Cross area earlier, as it travelled from Hackney Wick to Marble Arch and started its journey at Marble Arch, where the bus turned around to start the return route from Marble Arch to Hackney Wick. Reports suggest that the bus left Marble Arch at 9 a.m. sharp and arrived at Euston station at 9.35 a.m., where a huge crowd of people had been evacuated from the Tube and were hurrying to board the buses. The bus took a different route than usual because of a road closure at the Kings Cross area, due to the earlier underground bombings. The moment when the attack happened, the bus was travelling through Travistock Square at the point where it joins Upper Woburn Place. However, it is still unclear when and where the bomber boarded the bus.

The explosion ripped off the roof of the bus and at the same time destroyed the back part of the bus. A witness reported seeing "half a bus flying through the air". Moreover, BBC Radio 5 and The Sun reported later that two injured bus passengers saw a man bombing the bus. News reports then identified that the person who carried a bomb with him was Hassib Hussain.

The bomb in the bus exploded towards the rear of the vehicle's top deck, totally destroying it; however the front part was left untouched. Passengers sitting in the top deck survived as well as those on the front of the lower deck, including the driver, but those near the top and the lower rear of bus were unlucky to take the explosion.

It was a heartbreaking day for London. 52 people were killed on the spot, extreme physical damage was caused to the victims, and there were delays announcing the deaths while the police tried to examine how many bodies were present and whether the bomber was one of them. Surrounding buildings were also damaged.

The bombs exploded while UK was hosting the first full day of the 31st G8 Summit, a day after London was chosen to host the 2012 Summer Olympics and on the exact fourth anniversary of the racially-motivated Bradford Riot.