9 Nov 2010

London bombings survivor saw bomb detonated

10:00 pm on 9 November 2010

A severely injured survivor of the 2005 London bombings has told of seeing the ringleader detonate his suicide bomb as he sat across from him in a train.

Daniel Biddle has been giving evidence at the inquest into the deaths of 52 people in the bombings, on three trains and a bus, on 7 July 2005.

He said the bomber sat close to him before detonating the bomb with a jerk of his hand. Mr Biddle described seeing a big white flash before he was blown out of the carriage.

He only caught the Tube train because of a series of fateful decisions after waking up late with a migraine.

He lost both legs, his left eye and his spleen and spent several months in a coma, but went on to marry his fiancee and now hopes to represent Britain at the 2012 Paralympics.