The London terror bombings were the first suicide attacks on British soil

[mr blur]

according to latest Guardian report.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1526712,00.html

-snip-
"Police said they believed four men who arrived at King's Cross last Thursday morning on a train from Leeds were behind the terrorist bomb attack that killed at least 52 people on three tube trains and one bus.

At least three of bombers are believed to have been British males of Pakistani origin who lived in West Yorkshire. Detectives are still unsure about the identity of the mystery fourth bomber.

Article continues
The bus bomber is believed to be dead, and police said there was "strong forensic and other evidence" a second bomber died at Aldgate. Investigators are now trying to establish if the other two are alive or died in the explosions."

[fedsron2us]

1. I also saw a claim that it was the first suicide attack in Europe

although as Brian Walden pointed out in an excellent piece on the BBC the tactic was used well over one hundred years ago by nihilists against the Tsarist monarchy

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4671099.stm

What I do not understand is that if Islamicist groups have got people willing to kill themselves in bomb attacks why did they use them to blow up poorly paid African hospital cleaners etc on the tube when they could have gone after a really high profile target.

On edit - Here is a longer piece on the subject

http://www.taemag.com/issues/articleid.15452/article_detail.asp

In many respects the people who appear to have killed themselves in the London bombing have more in common with the anarchist 'propaganda of the deed' than with the true concept of the jihadist Holy Warrior set out in the Koran.

[Taxloss]

2. Didn't the Aldwych bus bomber kill himself?

I don't think it was his intention, but he was the only victim.

[fedsron2us]

3. You are correct

but it appears to have been an accident. He was just using the bus to get to his target. Planting bombs is not a risk free activity and the IRA had plenty of 'own goals'.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/18/newsid_4165000/4165719.stm