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On July 7, 2005, at the end of the morning rush hour, three near-simultaneous explosions tore apart the London Underground. Within an hour, the entire subway network was evacuated, and a fourth explosion in a bus underscored that this was a terrorist operation. The bombings shattered the British counterterrorism services'assumptions about the global neojihadi threat to Britain. Authorities pondered whether al Qaeda was a loose coalition with no clear leadership or a highly structured group with international reach that posed a clear threat to the United Kingdom. These two perspectives are not just academic disputes but raise important issues with real consequences in terms of counterterrorism strategy. What sorts of distinct measures are needed to combat these opposing forms of terrorism? What can we learn from the ways in which the London terror attacks were planned and executed—and from Britain's response?In The London Bombings, counterterrorism expert Marc Sageman seeks to answer these questions through a new detailed account and analysis of the Underground bombings as well as three other attacks directed at Britain between 2004 and 2006. Drawing on previously unavailable trial transcripts and law enforcement records, terrorists'self-documentation, and his own government experience in counterterrorism, Sageman makes the case that'top down'and'bottom up'conceptions of terror organizations need not be incompatible and that, in part because of this binary thinking, the West has tended to overreact to the severity of the threat. He stresses the fluid, chaotic ways that terrorist events unfold: spontaneously and gradually with haphazard planning—as the perpetrators are often worldly, educated, and not particularly religious before becoming engaged in neojihadi activities. The London Bombings is a vital, persuasive account of events that have not yet been properly presented to the public and are critical to the foundation of an effective counterterrorism strategy.

An analysis of the suicide attacks against London transportation targets that killed 56 people and injured hundreds, by the author of Inside Terrorism. It was among the most important operations directed by core al Qaeda leaders in years following the events of September 11, 2001. Initially, the incident was dismissed by the authorities, pundits, and the media as the work of amateur terrorists—untrained, self-selected and self-radicalized, “bunches of guys” acting on their own with no links to any terrorist organization. Evidence presented here, however, reveals a clear link between the bombers and the highest levels of the al Qaeda senior command, then based in the lawless border area separating Afghanistan and Pakistan. Written by the author of Inside Terrorism, this chapter is part of the Columbia Studies series that examines major terrorist acts and campaigns undertaken in the decade following 9/11.

How could a moment of triumph about the Olympic Bid turn into a catastrophe? These terrible events follow on the continuing revelations that the intelligence reports that were the government's basis for the invasion of Iraq were deeply flawed and the recent admission by the Ministry of Defence that it failed to foresee the size and ferocity of the Iraq insurgency. Something is very wrong in how Britain collects and analyses intelligence. In'7-7: What Went Wrong?', Crispin Black shows that fundamental flaws in our current approach to calibrating and understanding the terrorist threat -- an unwillingness for instance to take on board the effects of our foreign policy on loyalty at home and a generally slack approach to border security have produced a toxic threat to national security. Taken all together there is the uncomfortable suspicion that instead of gathering intelligence, their aim is to please their masters. In his compelling and authoritative analysis, Black shows the cumulative threats that have amassed over the years through the slow reactions of our intelligence and security services -- despite for instance the repeated warnings of the French and more recent warnings from the Middle East and the United States. He makes suggestions for reform.