Where are the 21/7 bombers now? The true story of the failed terrorists and their attack on London

Netflix has had a fascinating run of devastatingly powerful true-crime series and films of late. We’re talking the deeply disturbing A British Horror Story, revisiting the horrific crimes of Fred and Rose West and their killing spree back in the 1980s. And Grenfell: Uncovered, a documentary which looks at the safety failings that resulted in 72 people dying when a London tower block caught fire in 2017.

Another four-parter that you should add to your watchlist is Attack on London: The 7/7 Bombings. The documentary, released 20 years after the July 7 bombings that killed 52 people and injured a further 700, looks at how four British citizens became extremists.

The series also touches on the eerily similar suicide bomber plot which took place just two weeks after the 7/7 bombings. Known as the 21/7 bombings, this plot also involved extremists targeting the London underground and bus routes.

Luckily, their plan failed when the explosive devices they were carrying didn’t detonate properly. All five men fled the scene, sparking a high-pressure international manhunt to find the would-be terrorists before they potentially struck again.

Here, we explore what happened to these men, where they are now and the events that happened followed the botched terror attack.

At 12.26pm on 21 July 2005, Osman detonated a bomb at Shepherd’s Bush Market tube station on London’s Hammersmith & City underground line. The homemade explosive device failed to work because the solution of hydrogen peroxide used in the weapon was not strong enough. Instead of causing the chaos, carnage and casualties hoped by the terrorists, the bomb only had the strength of a small firework.

Osman fled the scene immediately, and a manhunt was sparked as the Met Police scrambled to find him and his accomplices. However, officers discovered a gym membership card with Osman’s name on it in the bag with the bomb. It linked him to an address in Scotia Road, Tulse Hill. When surveillance was placed on the property, officers wrongly identified Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes as Osman and shot him dead.

Osman himself had fled the country on a false passport, and was hiding in Rome at an apartment owned by his brother-in-law. Police, who were now monitoring Osman’s phone, were alerted to Osman’s whereabouts after he put an Italian SIM in his device.

Osman was arrested in a raid by Italian authorities on 29 July 2005 and extradited to the UK. In a lengthy and well-documented trial, Osman’s defence team claimed his bomb was a hoax, and was not intended to hurt bystanders; instead, this was only meant to be a protest about the Iraq war.

However, this was rejected by the court and Osman was sentenced to life in prison, serving a minimum of 40 years. In 2008, the Court of Appeal dismissed a challenge by Osman and the four other bombers to have their convictions overturned. He is thought to be in the high security British jail, Belmarsh Prison.

At 12.30pm on 21 July 2005, a small explosion was reported at Oval Underground station. However, the bomb did not detonate properly, resulting in Mohammed fleeing the scene. When police released images of the assailants, a member of the public recognised Mohammed and gave his name to the authorities.

With Mohammed’s name now on file, police were able to trace him to Dalgarno Gardens, a block of flats in west London by 29 August. Because there were fears Mohammed may have explosive devices on him, police told those who lived in the area to evacuate over a gas leak.

They then raided the property, using tear gas to try and lure Mohammed out of his flat.

Police ordered him to come out in his underwear with his hands up to ensure that he was not wearing any explosive devices. He followed orders, giving himself up to the police alongside Muktar Said Ibrahim, another suspected failed bomber, who was also hiding in the flat.

At trial, Mohammed was found guilty of conspiracy to murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of forty years. A 2008 appeal was rejected.

In 2014, Mohammed and two of the other failed bombers appealed to the European Court of Human Rights about overturning their conviction. They claimed their convictions were unfair as they were denied access to lawyers during police questioning and statements they gave were subsequently used at trial. However, this was rejected.

Mohammed is also thought to be serving his sentence at Belmarsh Prison.

At 12.45pm on 21 July 2005, a small explosion was reported between Warren Street and Oxford Circus tube stations on the Victoria Line. Yasin Hassan Omar was the man carrying the homemade device, but — just like Osman’s bomb — it wasn’t strong enough to cause the carnage Omar had hoped.

Omar escaped capture but, after the police appealed for information, he was identified by a neighbour who lived in the same block of London flats.

When police raided Omar’s address, they found evidence of extremist paraphernalia, but he was no longer there. He had, however, been recognised by a member of the public in Birmingham. When police reviewed CCTV, they found Omar had managed to travel openly by wearing a full Burka (a long, loose garment which covers the wearer and is traditionally worn by Muslim women).

It was down to West Midlands Police to investigate the flat Omar had been traced to in Birmingham. When they arrived on 27 July, they found Omar in a bathtub wearing a backpack he claimed was full of explosives. However, one officer chose to taser Omar, and the backpack was actually empty.

Omar was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court of conspiracy to murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum of 40 years before being considered for release. His 2008 appeal was rejected.

In 2014 Omar, alongside Mohammed and another failed bomber, appealed to the European Court of Human Rights to have their conviction overturned. They claimed their sentences were unfair as they were denied access to lawyers during police questioning and statements they gave were subsequently used at trial. However, this was rejected.

Omar is thought to be serving his sentence at Belmarsh Prison, alongside Mohammed and Osman.

At 1.30pm, Muktar Said Ibrahim’s bomb on the 26 bus from Waterloo to Hackney Wick failed to detonate. After the police released CCTV of Ibrahim on the bus, his own father recognised him and gave his name to the police. In a statement released at the time, Ibrahim’s family distanced themselves from the failed bomber and said they had no knowledge of his terrorist activities.

A statement issued by police read: “The family wish to express their shock regarding recent events and in no way condone any acts of terrorism.”

Ibrahim was arrested on 29 July 2005 after police raided a property in west London linked to Ramzi Mohammed. As Ibrahim was hiding alongside Mohammed, the pair were arrested together.

At the 2007 trial, Ibrahim was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court of conspiracy to murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of forty years before being considered for release.

In 2014, Ibrahim joined Omar and Mohammed in appealing to the European Court of Human Rights about overturning their conviction. They claimed their convictions were unfair as they were denied access to lawyers during police questioning and statements they gave were subsequently used at trial. However, this was rejected. He is thought to be held at Belmarsh Prison.

Asiedu was linked to the attempted 21/7 bombings – however, he ditched his device in little Wormwood Scrubs Park in west London and later turned himself in to the authorities.

During the 2007 trial, he testified against the other five defendants and later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cause an explosion. On 20 November 2007, he was sentenced to 33 years in jail. He is thought to be held at Belmarsh Prison.

In the weeks following the bombing, Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezies was wrongly put under surveillance by the Met police. He lived in the same block of flats as Hussain Osman — and police mistook him for the Shepherd’s Bush bomber.

He was fatally shot at Stockwell station on 22 July 2005. In a statement, the Met Police said what had happened to de Menezies was “a tragedy, and one that the Metropolitan Police Service regrets”. They also agreed to pay compensation to the de Menezes family. While the amount has not been publicly confirmed, reports at the time believe the payment was around £100,000.

In 2015, the de Menezes’s family took the British government to the European Court of Human Rights over the decision not to prosecute any police officer for the fatal shooting, which ultimately proved unsuccessful.

Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers is available to watch on Netflix now

Kimberley Bond

Multiplatform Writer

Kimberley Bond is a Multiplatform Writer for Harper’s Bazaar, focusing on the arts, culture, careers and lifestyle. She previously worked as a Features Writer for Cosmopolitan UK, and has bylines at The Telegraph, The Independent and British Vogue among countless others.