| 1993 Finchley Road bombings | ||||||||
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| Part ofthe Troubles | ||||||||
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 Interactive map of 1993 Finchley Road bombings | ||||||||
| Location | Finchley Road,Hampstead,London,England | |||||||
| Date | 2 October 1993 00:26 (UTC) | |||||||
| Target | Civilians | |||||||
Attack type | Time bombs | |||||||
| Deaths | 0 | |||||||
| Injured | 5 | |||||||
| Perpetrator | Provisional Irish Republican Army | |||||||
TheFinchley Road bombings occurred on 2 October 1993, when theProvisional Irish Republican Army (IRA)detonated threetime bombs onFinchley Road in northLondon, England. Telephoned warnings were sent six minutes beforehand, at approximately 00:26UTC, but five people were injured from falling glass as a result of the blasts, and damage was caused to some shops and flats in the surrounding area. The three bombs were planted outside aDomino's Pizza restaurant, atravel agent, and offices of theSt. Pancras Building Society. Later,anti-terrorist officers discovered and subsequently safely detonated a fourth bomb in a controlled environment, 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the initial bombings, inGolders Green. Two days later, on 4 October, the IRA detonated four more bombs in north London, two inTottenham Lane and two more inArchway Road resulting in four injuries.
The bombings were branded as "cowardly" byHome SecretaryMichael Howard. They were the first IRA bombings in the capital for over five months. Following the bombings, the IRA phoned aDublinradio station claiming responsibility for the attack.
The IRAhad carried out many bomb attacks onmilitary andcivilian targets in England since the beginning of its campaign in the 1970s. These attacks were carried out with a goal of putting pressure on theBritish government to withdraw fromNorthern Ireland.[1] In early 1993, theNorthern Ireland peace process was at a delicate stage, with attempts to broker an IRAceasefire ongoing.[2][3] In 1994, talks were continuing between the two largestIrish nationalists in Northern Ireland;John Hume of theSocial Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), andGerry Adams ofSinn Féin (SF).[2] There was a high risk of IRA attacks in London in light of the refusal of political talks between theBritish prime minister,John Major and Sinn Féin, and all British police forces were told to remain prepared for further attacks.[4] In the week after the attack, theConservative Party was due to host their annual conference.[5] Just over seven months earlier, on 27 February 1993, the IRAdetonateda similar bomb inCamden Town, injuring 18 people.[6][4] Prior to the bombings, there had not been any IRA attacks in London since the1993 Bishopsgate bombing just over five months earlier.[7][8]
At 00:20UTC on 2 October 1993, a telephone warning was sent to a Domino's Pizza on Finchley Road, a majordual carriageway in north London.[9] Six minutes later, at 00:26, one bomb was detonated outside the Domino's Pizza restaurant.[7] At 00:30, another bomb was detonated outside a travel agency and the final bomb was detonated outside the offices of the St. Pancras Building Society.[7][10] The three blasts injured four men and one woman in their twenties, with all injuries caused by from falling glass.[11][12] Police sealed off Finchley Road fromSwiss Cottage toWest End Lane.[7] A fourth bomb was then found and subsequentlydefused byanti-terrorism officers a mile north of Finchley Road inGolders Green.[13] All of the bombs had been placed in doorways.[13] As a result of the blasts, dozens of shops were damaged.[7] Following the bombing, the IRA phoned a Dublin radio station and claimed responsibility for the attacks.[8]
Home Secretary Michael Howard branded the attacks as "cowardly and contemptible".[8] Chief Superintendent of theMetropolitan Police Tony Buchanan called the attack "murderous", citing that there had been "no opportunity whatever to effect an evacuation". He also condemned the telephone warnings as "totally inadequate" claiming that there was "every possibility a large number of people could've been seriously injured".[10] The five people injured were sent to theRoyal Free Hospital, and discharged the next day. The IRA said the bombings had been carried out by a number ofactive service units.[5] On 2 October, police confirmed the locations of the bombings, and also noted that the effects of the bombings could have been much worse had it not been for a bus arriving early to collect passengers.[10] On 4 October, police issued an artist's impression of a suspect for the blast, who was said to be wearing aduffel coat-type garment with distinctive yellow bands around it.[14]
Eighteen people were injured, two seriously, when an IRA bomb exploded in a crowded north London high street at lunchtime yesterday.
AT LEAST four people were injured when three bombs exploded early this morning in Finchley Road, near Swiss Cottage, northwest London.
He condemned the telephone warning, which spoke of four devices in Finchley Road, as totally inadequate ... Clearly there was every possibility a large number of people could've been seriously injured
51°33′55″N0°11′47″W / 51.56528°N 0.19639°W /51.56528; -0.19639
