Lessons Learned From The 2005 London Bombings

The role religion played in the Marathon bombings is still an open question. But the broadest strokes we can paint thus far are of two young men, seemingly well integrated, who are suddenly radicalized and pull off the first successful bombing in an American city since 9/11. But, it has happened before.

Four young Britons wearing large backpacks had boarded London public transit at morning rush hour. They blew themselves up, killing 56 people and injuring more than 700.

Just one day before the 2005 bombings, cosmopolitan London had been awarded the 2012 Olympic games. The juxtaposition compounded the shock that the bombers were home grown terrorists... seemingly well-integrated young men, suddenly radicalized, who pulled off the first successful suicide bombings in UK history.

Eight years later, here we are in Boston, still reeling from the Marathon attacks. Are there lessons to be learned from London's experience, and what the UK has done since 2005 to track homegrown terrorism, and to intercept would-be bombers before they're too far radicalized?

Robert Pape, professor of political science at the University of Chicago and director of the Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism

Keith Spence, academic associate at the University of Leicester and a security and risk consultant.

The Boston Globe, "Prominent voices are already painting the Boston Marathon Bombings as the “next Sept. 11,” pointing to the influence of Al Qaeda or to the world’s Muslim community — as US Representative Peter King of New York has recently done. Anyone who does so is making a huge mistake." -Robert Pape

BBC News, "Report of the Official Account of the Bombings in London on 7th July 2005"