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Shehzad Tanweer (December 15, 1982 – July 7, 2005) was one of four men believed to have blown up three trains on the London Underground, and one bus in central London, during the 7 July 2005 London bombing, killing at least 55 people, including themselves, and injuring over 700.
Tanweer has been named by Scotland Yard as the man who detonated a bomb while travelling eastbound on the Circle Line between Liverpool Street and Aldgate, killing at least seven people.
Biography
Tanweer was born in St Luke's Maternity Hospital, Bradford to Parveen Akhtar. Her husband, Mohammed Mumtaz Tanweer, was originally from the Faisalabad region of Pakistan. In 1984, the family moved to the Beeston area of Leeds, though most of his youth was spent in Colwyn Road, where they moved when he was seven. Known as Kaka (little one) by his family, he attended Wortley High School, where he was described as moderate by his friends, who knew him as an outstanding sportsman, excelling at cricket, triple jump, long-distance running, football, and ju-jitsu. He then attended Leeds Metropolitan University, where he studied sports science before leaving for Pakistan in 2004 to attend a course in Islamic studies.
There is no indication that Tanweer was employed at the time of his death, though he 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 his father was respected locally as a prominent businessman.
Tanweer attended several mosques including Bengali, and Stratford Street mosque in Beeston, where Mohammad Sidique Khan and Hasib Hussain are also thought to have worshipped, and frequented the Hamara Youth Access Point, a drop-in centre for teens, alleged to have been used as a recruitment centre by Khan.
Relatives in Pakistan have said that Tanweer had boasted of wanting to die as a "holy warrior" and that he had hero-worshipped Osama bin Laden.
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 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 on July 15, 2004 from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on flight SV714.
Intelligence sources say the school was located in Muridke, Pakistan, 20 miles outside Lahore, and is believed to be connected with Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, a banned militant Islamist group; however, the madrasa has denied any connection with Tanweer.
It is alleged 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.
London bombing
Friends have told reporters that, several days before the attacks, Shehzad dyed his hair and eyebrows light brown. A few days before the bombing, he rented a red Nissan Micra from a local car-rental agency, and on 7 July, he drove his three accomplices to Luton in Bedfordshire, from where the group headed to London by train.
See also
- Mohammad Sidique Khan, Edgware Road train
- Hasib Hussain, No. 30 bus
- Germaine Lindsay, Piccadilly-line train
References
- Sandra Laville and Ian Cobain, "From cricket-lover who enjoyed a laugh to terror suspect", in: The Guardian, 13 July 2005
- Jason Bennetto and Ian Herbert, "From Leeds to London via Luton: the deadly mission of a suicide squad", in: The Independent, 13 July 2005
- Murphy, Brian (15 July 2005). "Chemist Denies Any Role in London Attacks".
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|org=ignored (help) - Gethin Chamberlain, "Investigators reveal London bomber's links to al-Qaeda, The Scotsman, 16 July 2005
- "'Father figure' inspired young bombers" by Sandra Laville, Audrey Gillan and Dilpazier Aslam, The Guardian, 15 July 2005
- "Pakistan militants linked to London attacks" by Luke Harding and Rosie Cowan, The Guardian, 19 July 2005
- "Cousin listened to boasts about suicide mission" by Daniel McGrory and Zahid Hussain, The Times, July 22, 2005