This is a list of deliberate attacks on the infrastructure, staff or passengers of the London Underground that have caused considerable damage, injury or death.
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| Date | Underground line | Location/Station | Incident | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 October 1883 | Inner Circle | Near Paddington (Praed Street) station Between Charing Cross (now Embankment) and Westminster station | On 30 October, two bombs planted as part of the Fenian dynamite campaign exploded on the Inner Circle. The first bomb, planted on a train, exploded near Paddington (Praed Street) station damaging the train it was on and a passing train along with part of the station and the signal box. Sixty-two passengers were injured. [1] At the same time, the second bomb exploded in the tunnel between Charing Cross (now Embankment) and Westminster stations. No trains were damaged or passengers hurt. [1] | 0 | 62 |
| January 1885 | Metropolitan Railway | Gower Street station (now Euston Square station) | In January 1885 a Fenian bomb exploded on a Metropolitan Railway train at Gower Street (now Euston Square) station. [2] | ||
| 26 April 1897 | Metropolitan Railway | Aldersgate Street station (now Barbican station) | On 26 April, a bomb left by a Russian anarchist group on a Metropolitan Railway train exploded at Aldersgate Street station (now Barbican). [3] Sixty people were injured, ten seriously, but the only fatality was Harry Pitts (born in 1861 in Devon) who died from his injuries, becoming the first person to die due to a terrorist attack on the Underground. At the inquest into Pitts' death, the jury found that he had been killed "by a bomb, or some other explosive, maliciously placed in the carriage by some unknown person or persons". A verdict of "wilful murder" was recorded. [4] | 1 | 60 |
| Date | Underground line | Location/Station | Incident | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 May 1913 | - | Piccadilly Circus tube station | On 2 May, the suffragettes plant a bomb containing nitroglycerine, a highly unstable and dangerous explosive, at Piccadilly Circus tube station. Although it had the potential to harm many on the busy platform, the bomb was discovered and dealt with before it could explode. [5] | 0 | 0 |
| 16 May 1913 | - | Westbourne Park station | On 16 May, a bomb – planted by the suffragettes – was discovered at Westbourne Park station before it could explode. | 0 | 0 |
In 1969, the Irish Republican Army (1922–1969), split into the Official Irish Republican Army (active until declaring 1972 ceasefire) and the Provisional Irish Republican Army (active until declaring a 1997 ceasefire). All were Irish Republican paramilitary organizations which sought to end Northern Ireland's status within the United Kingdom and bring about a United Ireland through armed force. On a number of occasions the different iterations of IRA attacked the London Underground.
| Date | Underground line | Location/Station | Incident | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 February 1939 | - | Tottenham Court Road station Leicester Square station | On 3 February, bombs planted by the IRA exploded in the left luggage offices at Tottenham Court Road and Leicester Square stations. | ||
| 26 July 1939 | - | King's Cross station Victoria station | On 26 July, bombs exploded at King's Cross and Victoria stations. In King's Cross, one man was killed and two wounded, whereas in Victoria five were injured (→ S-Plan). | 1 | 7 |
| 23 August 1973 | - | Baker Street station | On 23 August 1973, a bomb was found in an abandoned bag in Baker Street station ticket hall. The bomb was defused. A week later another bomb was found by a member of staff at the same station and was also defused. It was planted by the Provisional IRA. | 0 | 0 |
| 26 December 1973 | - | Sloane Square station | On 26 December 1973 a bomb was detonated in a telephone kiosk in the booking hall at Sloane Square station. Nobody was injured. | 0 | 0 |
| 9 October 1975 | - | Just outside Green Park station | On 9 October, a bomb detonated just outside Green Park station, killing one and injuring 20 people. [6] | 1 | 20 |
| 13 February 1976 | - | Oxford Circus station | On 13 February, a 30-pound (14 kg) bomb was found in a small case at Oxford Circus station and was defused. [7] | 0 | 0 |
| 4 March 1976 | - | Cannon Street station | On 4 March, a 10-pound (4.5 kg) bomb exploded on an empty train at Cannon Street station, injuring eight people in a passing train. | 0 | 8 |
| 15 March 1976 | Metropolitan line (on Hammersmith & City section) | West Ham station | On 15 March, an IRA bomb exploded on a Metropolitan line train at West Ham station, on the Hammersmith & City section of the line. The bomber, Vincent Donnelly, possibly took the wrong train and attempted to return to his destination. However, the bomb detonated prior to reaching the City of London. Donnelly shot Peter Chalk, a Post Office engineer, and shot and killed the train's driver Julius Stephen, who had attempted to catch the perpetrator. Donnelly then shot himself, but survived and was apprehended by police. [8] | 1 | 1 |
| 16 March 1976 | - | Wood Green station | On 16 March, an empty train was severely damaged by a bomb at Wood Green station. The train was about to pick up fans from an Arsenal football match, but the bomb detonated prior to arriving at the station, injuring one passenger standing on the platform. Three men were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for this attack. [9] | 0 | 1 |
| 17 March 1976 | - | Neasden depot | On 17 March, a bomb was found on a train at Neasden Depot and later defused. [10] | 0 | 0 |
| 29 August 1991 | - | Hammersmith depot | On 29 August, three incendiary devices were found under a seat at Hammersmith depot. [11] | 0 | 0 |
| 23 December 1991 | - | Harrow-on-the Hill station Neasden depot | On 23 December, two IRA bombs exploded, one on a train at Harrow-on-the-Hill station causing no injuries, and a smaller one on a train at Neasden depot. | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | Elephant & Castle station Neasden station Barking station | In 1992, the IRA placed incendiary devices on several trains. At Elephant & Castle station and Neasden station devices were found and defused. One device went off at Barking station. | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 October 1992 | - | Car park of Arnos Grove station | On 9 October, a small bomb was planted under a car at the Arnos Grove station car park. No-one was injured. | 0 | 0 |
| 9 December 1992 | - | Car park of Woodside Park station | On 9 December, a van bomb partially detonated at the car park of Woodside Park station. No-one was injured but it caused evacuations and disruptions. | 0 | 0 |
| 3 February 1993 | - | Underground passageway at South Kensington station | On 3 February, a device exploded at an underground passageway at South Kensington station. | ||
| 20 December 1993 | - | Northfields station | On 20 December, a device exploded in a litter bin in Northfields station. | ||
| 21 December 1993 | - | 100 tube stations | On 21 December, coded bomb warnings from the IRA resulted in a paralysed London Underground system, as tens of thousands were evacuated from 100 tube stations during the morning rush hour. |
In 2005 two groups of Islamist extremists attacked a number of underground lines and bus routes in London.
| Date | Underground line | Location/Station | Incident | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 July 2005 |
| On 7 July 2005, bombs exploded on Underground trains between Aldgate and Liverpool Street stations, Russell Square and King's Cross St Pancras stations and Edgware Road and Paddington stations. A double-decker bus at Tavistock Square was also destroyed. The bombs were detonated by four homegrown terrorist suicide bombers. The explosions killed 52 people and resulted in over 700 injuries. | |||
| 21 July 2005 |
| Four more attacks, unconnected with those on 7 July, were attempted on 21 July 2005 at Shepherd's Bush Market, Warren Street and Oval stations, as well as on a bus in Bethnal Green. In these incidents, each bomb detonator fired, but did not ignite the main explosive charge. No injuries occurred as a result of this event. |
| Date | Underground line | Location/Station | Incident | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 October 2016 | Jubilee line | North Greenwich station | Police conducted a controlled explosion on a device at North Greenwich station, after a driver on the Jubilee line became suspicious of a bag he had been handed as lost property which he found contained wires and a clock. [12] A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the device looked "real enough". [13] The station was evacuated and closed while delays affected the Jubilee line. [14] On 21 October 2016, armed officers tasered and arrested Damon Smith, then aged 19, in relation to the incident. [15] He was found to be interested in the Qu’ran, and it was initially suggested he acted under Islamist motivations, as he had drawn on information contained in a magazine associated with Al-Qaeda to make the device, but no evidence was found. He said he was against extremism. [16] It would, however, have been a "viable device" if it had been assembled with only small modifications. [17] On 3 May 2017, Smith was convicted of making or possessing an explosive substance with intent to endanger life. Smith claimed that he had intended only to commit a hoax and for the device not to be dangerous. [16] He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment later in the month. [18] | 0 | 0 |
| 15 September 2017 | - | Parsons Green station | On 15 September 2017, an improvised explosive was detonated at the Parsons Green station at around 8:20 am. The homemade bomb produced what witnesses called a "wall of fire", resulting in 22 injuries, primarily burns. [19] Ahmed Hassan was tried for attempted murder in March 2018. [20] He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment and must serve a minimum of 34 years. [21] | 0 | 22 |
The Real Irish Republican Army, or Real IRA (RIRA), was a dissident Irish republican paramilitary group that aimed to bring about a United Ireland. It was formed in 1997 following a split in the Provisional IRA by dissident members, who rejected the IRA's ceasefire that year. Like the Provisional IRA before it, the Real IRA saw itself as the only rightful successor to the original Irish Republican Army and styled itself as simply "the Irish Republican Army" in English or Óglaigh na hÉireann in Irish. It was an illegal organisation in the Republic of Ireland and designated a proscribed terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom and the United States.
North Greenwich is a London Underground station. Despite its name, it is not in the local area historically known as North Greenwich, on the Isle of Dogs, north of the River Thames; a completely different North Greenwich station used to be there, from 1872 until 1926. It is actually closer to Charlton than to Greenwich; however, it is at the northernmost tip of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, which perhaps gives the best explanation of the name.
A nail bomb is an anti-personnel explosive device containing nails to increase its effectiveness at harming victims. The nails act as shrapnel, leading almost certainly to more injury in inhabited areas than the explosives alone would. A nail bomb is also a type of flechette weapon. Such weapons use bits of shrapnel to create a larger radius of destruction.
The 1996 Manchester bombing was an attack carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) on 15 June 1996. The IRA detonated a 1,500-kilogram (3,300 lb) lorry bomb on Corporation Street in the centre of Manchester, England. It was the biggest bomb detonated in Great Britain since the Second World War. It targeted the city's infrastructure and economy and caused significant damage, estimated by insurers at £700 million, a sum surpassed only by the 1993 Bishopsgate bombing, also by the IRA.
Parsons Green is an above-ground London Underground station on the Wimbledon branch of the District line that opened in 1880. It is between Fulham Broadway and Putney Bridge stations and is in Zone 2. There are entrances on Parsons Green Lane and in Beaconsfield Walk. The station is a short distance north of the green itself. It was previously a train-operator depot, until functions were transferred to Earl's Court.
The 7 July 2005 London bombings, also referred to as 7/7, were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks carried out by Islamist terrorists that targeted commuters travelling on London's public transport during the morning rush hour.
The history of terrorism involves significant individuals, entities, and incidents associated with terrorism. Scholars often agree that terrorism is a disputed term, and very few of those who are labeled terrorists describe themselves as such. It is common for opponents in a violent conflict to describe the opposing side as terrorists or as practicing terrorism.
The London Docklands bombing occurred on 9 February 1996, when the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonated a powerful truck bomb in South Quay. The blast killed two people and devastated a wide area, causing an estimated £150 million worth of damage. The IRA had sent warnings 90 minutes beforehand, but the area was not fully evacuated. As well as the two people who were killed, more than 100 were injured, some permanently.
The Bishopsgate bombing occurred on 24 April 1993, when the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonated a powerful truck bomb on Bishopsgate, a major thoroughfare in London's financial district, the City of London. Telephoned warnings were sent about an hour beforehand, but a news photographer was killed in the blast and 44 people were injured, with fatalities minimised due to its occurring on a Saturday. The blast destroyed the nearby St Ethelburga's church and wrecked Liverpool Street station and the NatWest Tower.
Óglaigh na hÉireann is a small dissident Irish republican paramilitary group that took part in the dissident Irish Republican campaign. The organisation started carrying out attacks around 2009 and was formed after a split within the Real IRA, led by Seamus McGrane.
The dissident Irish republican campaign began at the end of the Troubles, a 30-year political conflict in Northern Ireland. Since the Provisional Irish Republican Army called a ceasefire and ended its campaign in 1997, breakaway groups opposed to the ceasefire and to the peace agreements have continued a low-level armed campaign against the security forces in Northern Ireland. The main paramilitaries involved are the Real IRA, Continuity IRA and formerly Óglaigh na hÉireann. They have targeted the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the British Army in gun and bomb attacks as well as with mortars and rockets. They have also carried out bombings that are meant to cause disruption. However, their campaign has not been as intensive as the Provisional IRA's, and political support for groups such as the Real IRA is "tending towards zero".
The Thiepval Barracks bombing was a double car bomb attack carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) on 7 October 1996. The bombs exploded inside Thiepval Barracks, the British Army headquarters in Northern Ireland. One British soldier was killed and 31 people were injured. This bombing was the first major attack on a military base in Northern Ireland since the end of the IRA's ceasefire eight months earlier.
On 15 September 2017, at around 08:20 BST, an explosion occurred on a District line train at Parsons Green Underground station, in London, 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 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.
This is a timeline of the events and actions during the Troubles that were carried out in Great Britain, the vast majority of which were carried out by Irish Republican paramilitaries mainly the Provisional IRA were by far the most active but both the Official IRA and the Irish National Liberation Army, also carried out a number of attacks, which included bombings and shootings. Ulster Loyalist paramilitary groups also carried out a small number of violent actions.
The Baltic Exchange bombing was an attack by the Provisional IRA on the City of London, Britain's financial centre, on 10 April 1992, the day after the General Election which re-elected John Major from the Conservative Party as Prime Minister. The one-ton bomb – concealed in a van and consisting of a fertiliser device wrapped with a detonation cord made from 100 lb (45 kg) of semtex – was the biggest bomb detonated on mainland Britain since World War II. The bombing killed three people, injured 91 others, and severely damaged the Baltic Exchange and its surroundings.
The West Ham station attack was a bombing and shooting attack at West Ham station in east London on 15 March 1976. A 5 lb (2.3 kg) bomb on a Metropolitan line train exploded prematurely in the front carriage of the train, injuring seven passengers. The bomb detonated prior to reaching the City of London, where it was thought the intended target was Liverpool Street station at rush hour. Adrian Vincent Donnelly, a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) member, then shot Post Office engineer Peter Chalk in the chest, and killed train driver Julius Stephen, who had attempted to catch him. Donnelly exited the station to the street and threatened people with his revolver before PC Raymond Kiff caught up with him. Shouting "You English bastards!", Donnelly shot himself in the chest, but he survived and was apprehended by Kiff.
Suffragettes in Great Britain and Ireland orchestrated a bombing and arson campaign between the years 1912 and 1914. The campaign was instigated by the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), and was a part of their wider campaign for women's suffrage. The campaign, led by key WSPU figures such as Emmeline Pankhurst, targeted infrastructure, government, churches and the general public, and saw the use of improvised explosive devices, arson, letter bombs, assassination attempts and other forms of direct action and violence.