7 July bombings inquests begin

The friends and families of those who died in the terrorist attack have been waiting five years for the inquests, which began today in London with a minute’s silence for the victims.

The coroner Lady Justice Hallett said: “We are here today to resume the inquests into the deaths of the 52 innocent people who were killed as a result of the bombs in London on July 7 2005. I should like to take a moment to remember them individually…

“Not surprisingly, many are still struggling to come to terms with the terrible events of July 7. Many will be attending court and reliving the detail of that day out of a sense of public duty.”

There have already been reports into the tragedy – including the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Theseus, and reports by the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee and the London Assembly – but the inquests have already provided more detail on key elements of the 7/7 bombings.

A document submitted to a pre-inquest hearing revealed that 17 of the 52 people who died were not killed instantly.

It also emerged that the fingerprints of one of the terrorists, Mohammed Sidique Khan, had been on file with West Yorkshire Police since 1986.

Families hope the inquests into the 7 July bombings will answer more of their questions, including whether more could have been done to prevent the attacks and save the lives of their loved ones.

The inquest process, which could last for up to five months, is the first detailed public investigation into the attacks, as successive Home Secretaries have rejected calls for a public inquiry.

Deeply tragic

Ros Morley, whose husband Colin died at Edgware Road, said: “I want the inquests to look at whether any mistakes were made or flawed systems were in place. Innocent citizens in the UK and worldwide need to know that they are protected now and in the future. I hope it is possible to gain something positive out of a deeply tragic event in which 52 innocent people lost their lives.”

As well as the 52 deaths, more than 700 people were injured in the attacks, carried out by Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain and Jermain Lindsay.

Hugo Keith QC, counsel to the inquests, began by outlining what happened when the bombers attacked.

“They detonated amongst the innocent and the unknowing, indiscriminately killing and maiming passengers who were simply going about their daily business,” he said.

“The bombs struck down men and women, the old and young, British nationals as well as foreigners. They had no regard to whether the victim was Christian, Muslim, a follower of any of our other great faiths, an adherent to none.

“They were just travelling on the London transport system. It is the saddest of duties to open their inquests.”

He added that the bombings were: “acts of mindless savagery which could only outline the sheer inhumanity of the perpetrators”, and described the bombings as “so self-evidently” acts of murder.

He also said that, even if MI5 had followed up on the evidence it had on the bombers before the July attacks, it could not “necessarily be supposed that the events of July 7, 2005, would have been prevented.”

And the emergency services had faced a very difficult task on the day, he added.

“The bomb attacks presented a very fast-moving, unprecedented and difficult set of circumstances.Those who came to assist were met by unimaginable scenes of horror and I am sure that everyone understands that.”

Critical questions
More than 5 years after the London bombings, many of the families of those who died in the attacks believe that critical questions remain unanswered, writes Channel 4 News home affairs correspondent Andy Davies. 

One key function of the inquests will be to examine the role of the emergency services in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. "Could more have been done to help those who died?" asks Clifford Tibbor, a solicitor representing the families of 6 of the victims. Earlier this year, at a pre-inquest hearing it was disclosed that Behnaz Mozakka, who died on a Tube train between King's Cross and Russell Square, had been conscious for more than half an hour after the explosion. Gareth Patterson, counsel for Mrs Mozakka's relatives, told the hearing: "For five years they [relatives] believed that she died instantly. For the first time they have discovered that their wife and mother was alive for 35 to 45 minutes after the explosions. They want to know what happened to her in the crucial moments after the explosion and whether she would have survived if there had been a timely response...There is reason to believe there may have been failings."

Question of 'preventability'
The remit of the inquests will also extend, significantly, to an examination of alleged intelligence failings in advance of the events of 7 July 2005, the so-called "preventability" issue. 

Lady Justice Hallett, the coroner, has told a previous hearing: "To my mind it is not too remote to investigate what was known in the year or two before the alleged bombings. Plots of this kind are not developed overnight."

In this respect, the families will expect close scrutiny of what exactly the Security Service knew about two of the bombers, Mohammed Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer, who - it emerged after the bombings - had been on MI5's radar more than a year before the atrocities. The two men had been monitored by MI5 as part of a major surveillance investigation into a man considered at the time to have been one of the Security Service's most significant terrorist targets. 

'Why did they not take action?'
Graham Foulkes, whose son David died at Edgware Road, has said: "We now know that the intelligence community had a comprehensive dossier on Mohammed Sidique Khan and that his intent was known. Why did JTAC (Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre) lower the threat level in the weeks leading up to 7/7? That decision was taken in the presence of people who knew that MSK [Mohammed Sidique Khan] was a serious threat. Why did they not speak up at the meeting? Why did they not take action to prevent the attacks?" 

Exactly how much information from MI5's archives, if any, will be disclosed publicly in the inquests has not yet been determined.

Closed session 
In a previous hearing counsel for the Security Service and the Home Secretary said that it would be impossible to isolate 7/7 files from MI5's other investigations at the time, arguing that to disclose the files publicly would be "akin to handing over the keys to Thames House (MI5's headquarters)".

Last week counsel for the Security Service submitted that Lady Justice Hallett should be allowed to sit in closed session to hear highly classified evidence. Such a move is likely to be opposed robustly by the families' legal representatives. The Security Service has argued previously that its role has already been investigated twice (in 2006 and 2009) by the Intelligence and Security Committee. Legal argument on this issue will continue during the inquests. 

The inquests into the deaths of the 52 innocent people who were killed on 7th July 2005 are expected to last up to 5 months. The inquests into the deaths of Mohammed Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain and Jermaine Lindsay remain adjourned.

Speaking outside court today, Lady Justice Hallett added: “I will balance carefully the needs of national security with relevance and fairness. It is in the interests of everyone that these inquests are conducted in as open a manner as possible. Contrary to some reports in the media today, I did not decide to sit without a jury so as to consider intelligence material in private.

“I have yet to decide whether it is in my powers, and if so, if it is in the interests of justice to conduct any closed hearings.”