London bus bomb 'an hour late'

July 9, 2005

Police have revealed that the Tavistock Square bus bomb did not explode until nearly an hour after the bombs on the Underground system detonated.

The bomb exploded at 9.47am, while all three Tube bombs exploded within 50 seconds of each other at 8.50am.

Police are looking into "every possibility" as to why the bomb exploded such a long time after the others, and are not ruling anything in or out.

However they have stated that the bomb, consisting of 5kg of high explosives, was in a bag on the floor or on a seat at the rear of the upper deck - and not strapped to a person.

At the scene of the blast itself a meticulous finger tip search is taking place to find evidence. The roof of the bus has been taken away for a thorough forensic examination.

The bus itself will be removed in due course.

The bus was fitted with an internal CCTV system, but it has not yet been stated if it was working. However the bus was seen by numerous traffic cameras as it made its journey that morning, and police are reviewing hours of footage.

Thirteen people died in the blast outside the British Medical Association building.