Shehzad Tanweer

Shehzad Tanweer (December 15, 1982 – July 7, 2005) was one of four men who detonated explosives in three trains on the London Underground and one bus in central London during the 7 July 2005 London bombing.

Tanweer was named by Scotland Yard as the man who detonated a bomb while travelling eastbound on the Circle Line between Liverpool Street and Aldgate, killing seven of the 52 killed and over 700 wounded in the attack, including himself. cite news
last =Bennetto
first = Jason
coauthors =Ian Herbert
title = From Leeds to London via Luton: the deadly mission of a suicide squad
publisher = The Independent
date = 2005-07-13
url =http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article298806.ece
accessdate = 2007-03-03 ] The other three men were identified as Hasib Hussain, Germaine Lindsay, and Mohammad Sidique Khan. All four were killed in the explosions.

Biography

, and Shehzad Tanweer. [cite news
title = Image of bombers' deadly journey
publisher = BBC News
date = 2005-07-17
url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4689739.stm
accessdate = 2007-03-03 ] ] Tanweer was born in St Luke's maternity hospital, Bradford to Parveen Akhtar, whose husband, Mohammed Mumtaz Tanweer, was originally from the Faisalabad region of Pakistan. In 1984, the family moved to the Beeston area of Leeds, then to Colwyn Road, Leeds when Tanweer was seven. Known as Kaka (little one) by his family, [cite news
last =Parker
first = Mushtak
title = Police Step Up Hunt for London Blasts Mastermind, 5th Suspect
publisher = Arab News
date = 2005-07-14
url =http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=66933&d=14&m=7&y=2005
accessdate = 2007-03-03 ] he attended Wortley High School, where he was described as politically moderate by his friends, who knew him as an outstanding sportsman, excelling at cricket, triple jump, long-distance running, football, and ju-jitsu. [cite news
title = Suicide bomber profile: The cricketer
publisher = Daily Mail
date = 2005-07-14
url =http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=355620&in_page_id=1770&in_a_source=
accessdate = 2007-03-03 ] [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22989-1693427,00.html Aldgate: Shehzad Tanweer - Britain - Times Online ] ] . He then attended Leeds Metropolitan University, where he studied sports science before leaving for Pakistan in 2004 to attend a course in Islamic studies.

At the time of his death, Tanweer is believed to have worked occasionally in his father's fish and chip shop. His family had previously owned a curry takeaway and a butcher's shop and was respected locally as a prominent businessman.

Tanweer attended several mosques including Bengali and Stratford Street mosque in Beeston, where two of the other London bombers, Mohammad Sidique Khan and Hasib Hussain, are also believed to have worshipped. He also frequented the Hamara Youth Access Point, a drop-in centre for teens, alleged to have been used as a recruitment centre by Khan. [cite news
last = Laville
first = Sandra
coauthors =Audrey Gillan and Dilpazier Aslam
title = 'Father figure' inspired young bombers
publisher = The Guardian
date = 2005-07-15
url =http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1529021,00.html
accessdate = 2007-03-03 ]

Police have confirmed that Khan and Tanweer went on a two-hour rafting trip together on June 4, 2005 at the National Whitewater Centre in Snowdonia National Park in Wales. Forensic evidence found in rucksacks after the abortive July 21 London attacks has linked those attacks to a second group of young men of Asian appearance who booked a rafting trip there on the same day as Tanweer and Khan [cite news
title = British police look into rafting trip
publisher = CNN
date = 2005-07-25
url =http://premium.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/07/24/london.terror.rafting
accessdate = 2007-03-03 ] [cite news
last = Carter
first = Helen
title = Police fear fifth bomber at large
publisher = The Guardian
date = 2005-07-25
url =http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1535535,00.html
accessdate = 2007-03-03 ]

Relatives in Pakistan have said that Tanweer had boasted of wanting to die as a "holy warrior" and that he was enamoured with Osama bin Laden. They noted that incidents such as the Qur'an desecration controversy of 2005 had "always been in his mind". [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22989-1704235,00.html Cousin listened to boasts about suicide mission] by Daniel McGrory and Zahid Hussain, The Times, 22 July 2005 ] . Tanweer's remains were buried at the shrine of a local Islamic saint in Tanweer's ancestral village in Samundari, Pakistan on October 27, 2005. [cite news
title = London suicide bomber buried in Samundari village
publisher = Daily Times
date = 2005-10-28
url = http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2005%5C10%5C28%5Cstory_28-10-2005_pg1_6
accessdate = 2007-03-03 ]

Three years to the day of the July 7 attacks, Pakistani relatives of Tanweer held a feast to 'celebrate his life' and 'remember him as a martyr,' causing outrage among the victims. [ [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1032699/Relatives-July-7-bomber-hold-PARTY-grave-celebrate-life.html Relatives of July 7 bomber hold PARTY at his grave to 'celebrate his life' | Mail Online ] ]

Trip to Pakistan

After completing the hajj earlier in the year, Tanweer travelled to Pakistan for a course in Islamic studies at a madrasa. The Pakistani government has released footage of Tanweer arriving at Karachi International Airport with Mohammad Sidique Khan, believed to be the ringleader of the London bombers, on Turkish Airlines Flight TK 1056 on November 19, 2004. Tanweer and Khan stayed in Pakistan until February 8, then flew back to London together. The youngest of the London cell, Hasib Hussain, arrived in Karachi from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 15, 2004 on Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight SV 714. [cite news
last = Harding
first = Luke
coauthors = Rosie Cowan
title = Pakistan militants linked to London attacks
publisher = The Guardian
date = 2005-07-19
url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1531453,00.html
accessdate = 2007-03-03 ]

Intelligence sources say the school was located in Muridke, Pakistan, 20 miles outside Lahore, named Jamia Manzoorul Islam and is believed to be connected with Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, a banned militant Islamist group. The madrasa has denied any connection with Tanweer.

It is believed there was a meeting in Faisalabad between Tanweer and Osama Nazir, a suspected member of Jaish-e-Mohammed, who has since been arrested for his role in a grenade attack on a church in Islamabad that killed five. Investigators also believe that Tanweer may have met Zeeshan Siddiqui, who is associated with a number of militant groups and who was arrested in Pakistan two months ago. Fact|date=February 2007

London bombing

A few days before the bombing, Tanweer rented a red Nissan Micra from a local car-rental agency, and at around the same time, dyed his hair and eyebrows light brown, according to friends .

On July 7, Tanweer, Khan, Hussain, and Lindsay are believed to have picked up the bombs from a house in the Burley area of Leeds, hiding them in large rucksacks, then to have driven to Luton, Bedfordshire in the red Nissan, which he left parked in Luton railway station car park.

In Luton, the men boarded the 07.48 Thameslink train, arriving at King's Cross in London at 08.20 hours, where they went their separate ways and detonated their bombs.

London Underground Ltd has confirmed that the three underground bombs exploded within less than 60 seconds of each other at 8:50 a.m.

Tanweer travelled eastbound on the Circle line from Kings Cross, detonating his bomb on [http://tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press-centre/image-gallery/images/rez-high/trakernet-3-high.jpgtrain number 204] between Liverpool Street and Aldgate stations, also killing at least seven people. He was identified from body parts found in the carriage he blew up.

After the bombings, police found 16 other bombs in Tanweer's car, several of them so-called "initiators" for the rucksack bombs: plastic bottles turned into nail bombs, containing a detonator attached to an electrical cable. Felt-roofing nails were fixed to the outside of the bottles with their tips pointing outwards, apparently intended to cause maximum soft-tissue damage. The devices would then have had cakes of high explosive packed around them.

Video statement

On July 6, 2006, a video statement by Tanweer was broadcast by Al-Jazeera. In the video, which included remarks by al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, Tanweer said:

"What have you witnessed now is only the beginning of a string of attacks that will continue and become stronger until you pull your forces out of Afghanistan and Iraq. And until you stop your financial and military support to America and Israel." Tanweer argued that the non-Muslims of Britain deserve such attacks because they voted for a government which "continues to oppress our mothers, children, brothers and sisters in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq and Chechnya" [cite news
title = Video of London suicide bomber released
publisher = Times Online
date = 2006-07-06
url =http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article683824.ece
accessdate = 2007-03-03 ] [cite news
title = Video of 7 July bomber released
publisher = BBC News
date = 2006-07-06
url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5154714.stm
accessdate = 2007-03-03 ]

Tanweer's statement was therefore clearer in making this link with British foreign policy than that of Mohammad Sidique Khan, the presumed lead bomber. The video has also served to solidify speculation that both Khan and Tanweer had contact with Ayman Al-Zawahiri and other senior figures in the Al-Qaeda organisation while in Pakistan. [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2258855,00.html Analysis: Tanweer video gives credence to al-Qaeda link - Britain - Times Online ] ]

The video also featured a segment by Adam Yahiye Gadahn.

Mystery assets

Tanweer left behind £121,000, but left no will. A spokesman for the probate department at the High Court said: “The net amount figure of £121,000 is the realisable figure which is what is left after taxes and debts on the estate have been deducted." [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article785610.ece Tube suicide bomber left mystery £121,000] ]

ee also

*Mohammad Sidique Khan, Edgware Road train
*Hasib Hussain, No. 30 bus
*Germaine Lindsay, Piccadilly-line train
*21 July 2005 London bombings

References

* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1527429,00.html "From cricket-lover who enjoyed a laugh to terror suspect"] by Sandra Laville and Ian Cobain, "The Guardian", July 13, 2005
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5143653,00.html "Chemist denies any role in London attacks"] by Brian Murphy, "The Guardian", July 15, 2005
* [http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1637382005 "Investigators reveal London bomber's links to al-Qaeda"] by Gethin Chamberlain, "The Scotsman", July 16, 2005
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1536957,00.html "Warren Street bomb suspect held"] by James Sturcke and agencies, "The Guardian", July 27, 2005
* [http://abcnews.go.com/International/LondonBlasts/ Images obtained by "ABC News"]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1577406,00.html "A life torn apart by terror: one woman's story of survival"] by Sandra Laville, "The Guardian", September 24, 2005

Further reading

* [http://julyseventh.co.uk/7-7-profile-shehzad-tanweer.html Profile of Shehzad Tanweer]

Persondata
NAME= Tanweer, Shehzad
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=
DATE OF BIRTH=1982
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=2005
PLACE OF DEATH=