Hasib Hussain

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Hasib Mir Hussain
Born September 16, 1986
Beeston, Leeds, U.K.
Died July 7, 2005
Tavistock Square, London, U.K.

Hasib Mir Hussain (September 16, 1986 – July 7, 2005) was one of four terrorists who detonated bombs on three trains on the London Underground and one bus in central London during the 7 July 2005 London bombings.

Hussain was the terrorist who detonated a bomb on the No. 30 bus that exploded in Tavistock Square, killing 13 of the 52 people killed in the suicide bombings, and himself. Investigators found his remains and personal effects on the bus. Aged 18, he was the youngest of the group of four. The other men were Shehzad Tanweer, Germaine Lindsay, and Mohammad Sidique Khan.

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[edit] Biography

Hussain was born in Leeds General Infirmary and raised in Holbeck, West Yorkshire, Leeds, England the youngest of four children. His father, Mahmood, worked in a factory, while his mother, Maniza, an interpreter for South Asian families at Leeds General Infirmary. Alia Kaur, one of Hussain's sisters, left Islam and converted to Sikhism in the late 1990s. The Hussain family disowned her upon discovering of her conversion. [1] At the time of the bombing, Hussain was living with his brother Imran and sister-in-law Shazia, in 7 Colenso Mount, Holbeck, Leeds.

Hussain received his primary education at Ingram Road Primary School, Holbeck. In September 1998, he began his secondary education at South Leeds High School — formerly the Matthew Murray High School. Despite a good attendance record he was withdrawn from all his GCSE exams before leaving school on 20 July 2003. He held a GNVQ in business studies. He was a member of the Holbeck Hornets football team and the local cricket team. When he left Matthew Murray High School Teachers who knew him described him as "a slow gentle giant" who "did not spread leaflets of hate-mail".[2]

Hussain became more religious in the later half of 2003, after visiting Pakistan; he started wearing traditional Muslim dress, grew a beard, and made the pilgrimage to Mecca, the hajj. He met Mohammed Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer around the same time. The three frequented the Stratford Street mosque in Beeston, and were also intimately associated with the Hamara Youth Access Point, a drop-in centre for teens. Hussain was cautioned by police for shoplifting in 2004.

[edit] London bombings

There were media reports that Hussain had travelled to Pakistan in February 2004, but these appear to be a case of mistaken identity.[3]

In mid-June 2005, Magdi Asdi el-Nashar, an Egyptian lecturer at the University of Leeds, rented a flat from Dr. Adnan Shukir. Hussain played the role of el-Nashar's purportedly foreign friend. Sources differ, but either Hussain's brother or the police examined Hussain's mobile phone, which had Dr. Shukir's number in its memory. Police raided the flat, finding kilos of explosives and other evidence of a bomb-making operation.

[edit] Planning Stage

Before Hussain went to London with Khan and Tanweer, all three men travelled to 18 Alexandra Grove, Hyde Park, Leeds where the homemade explosive devices were assembled. The bombs were placed into a refrigerated box to maintain stability overnight. In the morning they travelled south towards Luton train station, where they met up with Germaine Lindsay, the fourth bomber at around 7:20AM. They then made the trip towards King's Cross station.

On the day of the attacks, Hussain is believed to have intended to take the Northern Line Train. However, it was temporarily suspended on July 7 and so Hussain left the London Underground system. He was captured on CCTV in a Boots store on the concourse of King's Cross after the other bombs had gone off. Mobile phone records indicate that he had tried to telephone the other bombers. About 50 minutes after the other bombs had detonated, Hussain appears to have boarded the number 30 bus, his bomb exploding shortly thereafter: the remnants of his skull, driving licence and credit cards were found in the wreckage of the bus in Tavistock Square.

Hussain's parents contacted the Scotland Yard emergency helpline[citation needed] at about 10:20pm on 7 July to report that their son had been travelling to London with three friends and had not been heard from since.

Hussain's remains were buried in a Muslim cemetery in Leeds on November 2, 2005.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Muslim converts to Sikhism
  2. ^ 'Slow, gentle giant' who blew up the No 30 bus and killed 13 others - Yorkshire Evening Post
  3. ^ BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | UK boy wrongly labelled as bomber

[edit] Further reading


Persondata
NAME Hussain, Hasib
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION
DATE OF BIRTH 1986
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH 2005
PLACE OF DEATH