London bombings: CCTV captures bombers before attack
Andy Davies
Home Affairs Correspondent
Families of the victims of the 52 people killed in the 7 July London bombings were today shown CCTV footage of the bombers as they gathered materials and made a reconnaissance ahead of the attacks.
The inquests into the deaths of those killed in the bombings were today shown CCTV footage of the bombers as they collected materials for their plan and made a three-hour reconnaissance mission to London.
Grainy footage showed ring-leader Mohammed Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer and Jermaine Lindsay as they travelled on the Underground system. The bombers – highlighted by coloured arrows – could be clearly observed during the silent clips which charted their movements from Luton.
Some of the huge haul of CCTV gathered by police was shown to the coroner to document how the bombers travelled to London, armed themselves and descended into the capital’s rail network.
Separate footage also showed the bombers shopping for equipment in B&Q and Asda in Leeds.
They purchased pliers and light bulbs at a B&Q hardware store and made an early-morning visit to an Asda supermarket for bags of ice to keep their homemade bombs cool.
Siddique Khan was also shown escorting his heavily pregnant wife to Dewsbury Hospital in West Yorkshire two days before the attack.
CCTV footage of the suicide attackers calmly making their final preparations was played at the inquests into the deaths of the 52 innocent victims of the London bombings on July 7 2005.
Khan, 30, Shehzad Tanweer, 22, and Hasib Hussain, 18, visited the B&Q store in Beeston Road, Leeds, on July 4.
A B&Q receipt found at Khan’s Dewsbury home after the bombings, showed he bought three sets of pliers and two 50-watt bulbs. The inquests have already heard that an improvised explosives detonator made from a light bulb was discovered at the terrorists’ bomb factory in Leeds.
The next day, Khan and Ms Patel were caught on camera arriving at Dewsbury Hospital in the same blue Nissan Micra.
Khan and Tanweer were also filmed shopping at the Asda superstore in Pudsey, Leeds, the day before the bombings.
Arriving in the Nissan Micra at about 5.20am on July 6, they select a trolley and Khan leads the way to the freezer section as staff restock the shelves.
A receipt later found at Edgware Road Tube station, where Khan detonated his device, shows he bought 15 bags of ice that morning. The inquests have been told that the bombers used ice packs to keep their homemade explosives cool while they travelled to London.