An in-depth look at terrorism and its aftermath
Film: Attack in London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers
Director: Lisa Williams
Rating: * * * 1/2
Runtime: 4 eps/ 45 min each
Netflix’s four-part documentary series, “Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers,” directed by Liza Williams, is a belated account of the 2005 London transport bombings and subsequent events. The coordinated terrorist bombings on July 7 described as the UK’s 9/11, the tragic death toll of 52 lives lost, identification of the terrorist involved and the consequent manhunt for the perpetrators is parlayed through eyewitness accounts and previously unreleased footage.
This true crime, 4-part documentary series gives us a detailed take on what is considered the worst terrorist attack in the UK to date.
On an ordinary day, a series of explosions rocked the London Underground network, followed by a devastating attack on a public bus, as part of a planned terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 52 innocent people. The detailed investigation following the horrific attack, questions raised on the lack of initiative by the MI5 and investigations of similar attacks attempted just a couple of weeks later, form the gist of this documentary.
This true crime film begins with the account of Dan Biddle, an ordinary Londoner whose life changed completely that fateful morning. It was around a quarter to nine, Dan was aboard a crowded London Underground train, feeling the crush and running late. As the train headed back into the underground tunnels, Dan remembers feeling the fixed stare of a young man, who just as Dan was about to ask why he was staring at him, pressed something in his backpack. Seconds later, the backpack exploded.
Much like the 2006 Mumbai train bombings, a series of seven bomb blasts on 11 July, which took place a year later, killed 209 people and injured over 700 more, the London bombings also involved a series of blasts. Three bombs were detonated at 8:49 a.m., all on board London Underground trains. A Circle Line train travelling between Liverpool Street and Aldgate stations, another Circle Line train, between Edgware Road and Paddington stations and the third bomb on board a Piccadilly Line train travelling from St. Pancras to Russell Square.
The bombs had been detonated inside the tunnels to ensure that three trains running on parallel tracks would also be affected. 39 innocent victims died in the three attacks. 58 minutes later, an explosion occurred on the upper deck of a number 30 London public bus transporting passengers from Marble Arch to Hackney Wick. 13 people died instantly in this second attack.
The documentary goes on to detail the arduous process followed to find out more about the attack and MI5’s role in the investigation. The first substantial lead came from Cliff Todd, the country`s top forensic investigator, who confirmed that suicide bombers had carried out the attacks. Now it was up to the MI5 investigation team to review security camera footage from the areas where the attacks took place and come to a conclusion as to who masterminded the strikes and why.
In a scenario similar to the 26/11 terrorist attacks on Mumbai in 2008,(which occurred a few years later) when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba carrying backpacks attacked 12 locations all over Mumbai, here too, it was later found that four men carrying large backpacks arrived in a private car and were seen entering King`s Cross station together.
This four-part chronicle recounts events by mapping initial reactions and the search for answers through the deeply personal recollections of those who were there. The four men eventually identified as the suicide bombers were Germaine Lindsay, Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Husain all British citizens, three of whom were from Pakistani immigrant families, all inspired by Islamic terrorist ideology inspired by the Islamic extremism spread by Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Richard Watson, an investigative journalist featured in this docuseries, makes claims with substantial evidence, that the attacks could have been avoided if MI5 had been more efficient.
This documentary also talks about the victimisation of Muslims in the story of Mustafa Kurtuldu, who survived the Aldgate blast, only to be traumatised on national television, where his suffering was trivialised and he was interrogated through the lens of his faith.
Detective Constable Pete Merritt’s description of carrying the dead from the carriage is moving. The series shifts its focus from the victims to the perpetrators and back deftly.
The search for meaning in the turbulence and chaos of destruction is highlighted with focus. The painstaking process of trying to reassemble a narrative from forensic clues and human memory is an unforgettable one and deserves to be seen.
