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A homemade bomb partially exploded on an eastbound District line train at Parsons Green Underground station, in West London. The District line train was packed with commuters and school children. Witnesses described seeing a fireball in the rear carriage of the packed rush-hour train. Numerous passengers were reported to have suffered flash burns. Others received crush injuries in the rush to leave the scene. Thirty people received medical treatment for their injuries, 19 of whom were taken to hospital by ambulance and the remainder self-presenting at hospital.
The device had been left in a white plastic bucket inside a shopping bag. Wires were hanging out, as well as a black towel. Reports also indicate the device was packed with knives and screws. According to Ben Wallace, the security minister, the bomb contained the triacetone triperoxide explosive (TATP), the same explosive used in the 2005 London Underground bombings and the November 2015 Paris attacks. The explosive is known to be very unstable, which may have led to critical errors in the construction of the bomb, such that it only partially exploded. According to Chip Chapman, former head of Counterterrorism at the Ministry of Defence, "This absolutely didn't function properly because… of TATP is enough to blow car doors off".
On 15 September 2017, at around 08:20 BST (07:20 UTC), an explosion occurred on a
home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani, along with the Parsons Green train bombing and police having foiled at least seven 'significant plots', this makes it "the most sustained period of terror activity in England since the District line
The District line is a London Underground line running from in the east and Edgware Road in the west to in west London, where it splits into multiple branches. One branch runs to in south-west London and a short branch, with a limited serv ...
train at Parsons Green Underground station, in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, England. Thirty people were treated in hospital or an urgent care centre, mostly for burn injuries, by a botched, crude "bucket bomb" with a timer containing the explosive chemical TATP. Police arrested the main suspect, 18-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker
An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and m ...
Ahmed Hassan, in a departure area of the Port of Dover the next day, and subsequently raided several addresses, including the foster home of an elderly couple in Sunbury-on-Thames where Hassan lived following his arrival in the United Kingdom two years earlier claiming to be an asylum seeker
An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and m ...
.
The incident was classified by Europol as a case of jihadist terrorism
Islamic terrorism (also known as Islamist terrorism or radical Islamic terrorism) refers to terrorist acts with religious motivations carried out by fundamentalist militant Islamists and Islamic extremists.
Incidents and fatalities fr ...
.
Background
Four other attacks occurred in England in the months preceding the bombing: the Westminster attack, theManchester Arena bombing
On 22 May 2017, an Islamist extremist suicide bomber detonated a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb as people were leaving the Manchester Arena following a concert by American pop singer Ariana Grande.
Twenty-three people were killed, including ...
, the London Bridge attack and the Finsbury Park attack
The 2017 Finsbury Park attack was a terror-attack in Finsbury Park (district), Finsbury Park, London, England, on 19 June 2017. A van was Vehicle-ramming attack, driven into pedestrians in Finsbury Park, London, by Darren Osborne, causing one d ...
. According to the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...IRA
Ira or IRA may refer to:
*Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name
*Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name
*Iran, UNDP code IRA
Law
*Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...
bombing campaign of the 1970s."
Incident
A homemade bomb partially exploded on an eastbound District line train at Parsons Green Underground station, in West London. The District line train was packed with commuters and school children. Witnesses described seeing a fireball in the rear carriage of the packed rush-hour train. Numerous passengers were reported to have suffered flash burns. Others received crush injuries in the rush to leave the scene. Thirty people received medical treatment for their injuries, 19 of whom were taken to hospital by ambulance and the remainder self-presenting at hospital.
The device had been left in a white plastic bucket inside a shopping bag. Wires were hanging out, as well as a black towel. Reports also indicate the device was packed with knives and screws. According to Ben Wallace, the security minister, the bomb contained the triacetone triperoxide explosive (TATP), the same explosive used in the 2005 London Underground bombings and the November 2015 Paris attacks. The explosive is known to be very unstable, which may have led to critical errors in the construction of the bomb, such that it only partially exploded. According to Chip Chapman, former head of Counterterrorism at the Ministry of Defence, "This absolutely didn't function properly because… of TATP is enough to blow car doors off".
Claim of responsibility
According to theAmaq News Agency
Amaq News Agency ( ar, وكالة أعماق الإخبارية) is a news outlet linked to the Islamic State (IS). Amaq publishes news reports about claims of responsibility for terrorist attacks in Western countries. It is often the "first poi ...
, an affiliated unit of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
carried out the attack. The Metropolitan Police described the claim as "very routine in these sort of circumstances... whether or not they have had any previous engagement with the individuals involved". On 17 September, Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national s ...
Amber Rudd
Amber Augusta Rudd (born 1 August 1963) is a British former politician who served as Home Secretary from 2016 to 2018 and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2018 to 2019. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hastings and Rye, fir ...
said there was no evidence to suggest that ISIL was behind the attack, and added that they would find out how the attacker was radicalised if they could.
Investigation and trial
The Metropolitan PoliceCounter Terrorism Command
Counter Terrorism Command (CTC) or SO15 is a Specialist Operations branch within London's Metropolitan Police Service. The Counter Terrorism Command was established as a result of the merging of the Anti-Terrorist Branch (SO13) and Special Bra ...
led the investigation into the attack. According to the Metropolitan Police, “hundreds of detectives” were involved in the investigation. Investigators reportedly linked the attack to Islamic extremism and considered feasible a network of individuals involved in such plans. The Metropolitan Police launched a manhunt for one, possibly two, suspects.
On 16 September, Kent Police Special Branch arrested Ahmed Hassan at the Port of Dover on suspicion of a terror offence. The port area was partially evacuated and a number of items recovered by the police. Later that day, police raided, and searched a house in Sunbury, Surrey. Hassan was not named initially, but was identified by media reports as an 18-year-old Iraqi orphan refugee who had been referred to a governmental anti-extremist programme.
Seven men were arrested in total during the investigations. Later on 16 September, a man was arrested in Hounslow
Hounslow () is a large suburban district of West London, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 12 metropolitan centres in ...
, west London, A third man, a 25-year-old, was arrested in Newport, south Wales, on 19 September and an address in Newport was searched. The seventh and final arrest took place on 25 September in Cardiff. On 21 September the second arrestee was released without charge.
On 22 September, Hassan was charged with attempted murder and causing an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury. He appeared in court the following day and was remanded in custody, to appear at the Old Bailey on 13 October. The other six arrestees were released without charge.
Ahmed Hassan pleaded not guilty to the charges. His trial took place on 5–16 March 2018 at the Old Bailey. The Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The main responsibilities of the CPS are to provide legal advi ...
(CPS) indicated that Hassan had not conveyed his motive for the attack and that, perhaps due to his destruction of electronic devices, there was no evidence of ISIS being an inspiration. On 16 March, he was found guilty by a unanimous jury. On 23 March, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 34 years; he will be eligible for parole on 23 March 2052. The sentence reflected the court's belief that Hassan had lied about his age and was in fact older. It has been claimed, in an article by Lizzie Dearden of ''The Independent'', that the police missed or misinterpreted evidence indicating Hassan was inspired by ISIS.
The bomber
Ahmed Hassan arrived illegally in the UK in October 2015 claiming to be under 18, at a time when the UK government had shortly before instituted more generous rules on accepting asylum applications from unaccompanied minors. At a January 2016 immigration interview, Hassan told officials he had been in contact with theIslamic State of Iraq and Syria
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
and been compelled by ISIL to undergo training to kill with about 1,000 other young people and he had feared members of his family would be killed if he had attempted to resist. Hassan also stated during the interview that he blamed the United Kingdom for his father having died in Iraq. While his asylum application was being processed, he was placed in foster care
Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family ...
with a highly experienced elderly foster couple who were given no hint of his extremist links.
Reactions
Domestic
In a statement after the incident, thePrime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
, Theresa May
Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cabi ...
, said: "My thoughts are with those injured at Parsons Green and the emergency services who, once again, are responding swiftly and bravely to a suspected terrorist incident".
Mayor of London
The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom.
The current m ...
Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Aman Khan (; born 8 October 1970) is a British politician serving as Mayor of London since 2016. He was previously Member of Parliament (MP) for Tooting from 2005 until 2016. A member of the Labour Party, Khan is on the party's sof ...
said: "As London has proven again and again, we will never be intimidated or defeated by terrorism. I am in close contact with the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London (TfL), Government and other emergency services who are responding at the scene and leading the investigation. I will be attending the emergency COBRA meeting in Whitehall this afternoon with the Prime Minister. My sincere gratitude goes to all our courageous emergency responders and the TfL staff who were first on the scene. I urge all Londoners to remain calm and vigilant". Khan also said: "I am not going to apologise for saying we need more resources and more police in London".
Subsequent to the attack, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre decided to raise the terror threat level from 'Severe' to 'Critical', for only the fourth time since its 2006 introduction. Operation Temperer
Operation Temperer is a British government plan to deploy troops to support and free up police officers in key locations following a major terrorist attack or major public disorder. It was put into effect for the first time on 22 May 2017 followin ...
was also activated for the second time, as a result of the raise in threat level. The terror threat level was then returned to 'Severe' by JTAC on 17 September 2017.
Citing the Parsons Green train bombing, police advised the public not to record terrorist events, but instead to "run, hide, tell".
International
US President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
tweeted: "Another attack in London by a loser terrorist. These are sick and demented people who were in the sights of Scotland Yard. Must be proactive!" He also touted his proposed travel ban. His comments were described by Theresa May, who characterised the tweets as inaccurate speculation, as "not helpful."
Craig Palmer bravery award
On 6 April 2019 it was announced that Lt. Col. Craig Palmer, a passenger on the affected tube train, had been awarded theQueen's Commendation for Bravery
The King's Commendation for Bravery and the King's Commendation for Bravery in the Air are United Kingdom awards,
See also
*7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings, often referred to as 7/7, were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks carried out by Islamic terrorists in London that targeted commuters travelling on the city's public transport system during the mo ...
*21 July 2005 London bombings
On Thursday, 21 July 2005, four attempted bomb attacks by Islamist extremists disrupted part of London's public transport system as a follow up attack from the 7 July 2005 London bombings that occurred two weeks earlier. The explosions occur ...
* Cannon Street train bombing
*Bombings of Paddington and Victoria stations
On 18 February 1991 two Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombs exploded at London mainline stations, one at Victoria station and the other at Paddington station, killing one person and injuring 38 other people at Victoria station. It ...
*Green Park tube station bombing
On Thursday 9 October 1975, a bomb attack just outside Green Park Underground station in the City of Westminster, London, left one man dead and injured 20 others. The attack was carried out by volunteers from the Provisional IRA's Balcombe St ...
*Bombings of King's Cross and Euston stations
The King's Cross station and Euston station bombings were two bombing attacks on 10 September 1973 by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) that targeted two mainline railway stations in central London. The blasts wounded 13 civilians, so ...
*West Ham station attack
The West Ham station attack was a bombing and shooting attack at West Ham station in east London on 15 March 1976. A bomb on a Metropolitan line train exploded prematurely in the front carriage of the train, injuring seven passengers. The bomb ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons Green train bombing 2017 in rail transport Attacks on buildings and structures in England Attacks on railway stations in Europe Explosions in 2017 Filmed improvised explosive device bombings Improvised explosive device bombings in London Islamic terrorism in London Islamic terrorist incidents in 2017 September 2017 crimes in Europe September 2017 events in the United Kingdom Terrorist incidents in London in 2017 Terrorist incidents on railway systems in the United Kingdom Terrorist incidents on underground rapid transit systems Train bombings in Europe