Germaine Lindsay
Encyclopedia
Germaine Maurice Lindsay (23 September 1985 – 7 July 2005), also known as Abdullah Shaheed Jamal, was one of the four homegrown terrorists
who detonated bombs on three trains on the London Underground
and one bus in central London during the 7 July 2005 London bombings
, killing 56 people (including themselves), and injuring more than 700. Lindsay detonated the bomb that killed 26 other people on a train traveling on the Piccadilly line between the King's Cross St. Pancras and Russell Square
tube stations.
and had lived in Dalton, West Yorkshire, following his arrival from Jamaica
at age five, where he attended Rawthorpe Junior School and Rawthorpe High School. A carpet fitter, he subsequently moved to Aylesbury
in Buckinghamshire
.
News reports indicate that Lindsay was a violent drug dealer in Huddersfield
prior to his conversion to Islam: "He thought all white people were trash and said he was going to get them all on drugs to kill them off."
Lindsay married a woman from Kinnitty
, County Offaly
, Ireland
, Aoife Nadiyah Molloy, with whom he remained for eight days before divorcing her to marry Samantha Lewthwaite. Lewthwaite, a native of Aylesbury, had converted to Islam
at age 15. Lewthwaite lived with him and gave birth to their second child two months after his death. Lindsay also persuaded his mother, Mary McLeod, the daughter of an Evangelical Christian, to convert to Islam. He engaged in "work experience" with a local council, which he is said to have enjoyed, although the pay was poor.
His wife, formerly known as Samantha Lewthwaite (who took the Muslim
name of Sherafiyah) denied Lindsay's involvement until authorities produced forensic evidence to confirm his identity. She later went on record stating she abhorred the attacks and that her husband's mind had been poisoned by radicals. Lindsay was reportedly close to Abdullah el-Faisal
, a controversial imam
convicted of attempting to incite sectarian murders in 2003.
stations A raid by Scotland Yard
found no explosives at Lindsay's flat. Lindsay is believed to have hired one of the cars left at Luton
railway station on 7 July before the bombers made their rail journey to London
.
Abdul Dayan, the imam
of the Jamia Ghausia mosque
in Aylesbury, said that Lindsay did not attend, and did not mix with the largely Pakistan
i Muslim community.
attack on the empty property. Since then it was revealed in the local press that his wife and son are living under police protection and would not be returning home. In December 2005, two 17-year-olds were charged with attempted arson for the attack.
Homegrown terrorism
Homegrown terrorism is commonly associated with an international organization rather than being a ‘lone wolf’ act committed by isolated and disturbed individuals. It constitutes terrorist attacks from within the target nation, often Western...
who detonated bombs on three trains on the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
and one bus in central London during the 7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
, killing 56 people (including themselves), and injuring more than 700. Lindsay detonated the bomb that killed 26 other people on a train traveling on the Piccadilly line between the King's Cross St. Pancras and Russell Square
Russell Square tube station
Russell Square is a London Underground station on Bernard Street, Bloomsbury in the London Borough of Camden. It is a small but busy station, often used by office workers and by tourists who are staying in Bloomsbury's numerous hotels. The station is a Grade II listed building.-History:The station...
tube stations.
Biography
Lindsay was born in JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and had lived in Dalton, West Yorkshire, following his arrival from Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
at age five, where he attended Rawthorpe Junior School and Rawthorpe High School. A carpet fitter, he subsequently moved to Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
News reports indicate that Lindsay was a violent drug dealer in Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
prior to his conversion to Islam: "He thought all white people were trash and said he was going to get them all on drugs to kill them off."
Lindsay married a woman from Kinnitty
Kinnitty
Kinnitty is a village in County Offaly, Ireland. It is located 13 km east of Birr on the R440 and R421 regional roads.The village derives its name from the myth that the head of an ancient princess is buried beneath the village, Ceann being Irish for head and Eitigh being the name of the...
, County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Aoife Nadiyah Molloy, with whom he remained for eight days before divorcing her to marry Samantha Lewthwaite. Lewthwaite, a native of Aylesbury, had converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
at age 15. Lewthwaite lived with him and gave birth to their second child two months after his death. Lindsay also persuaded his mother, Mary McLeod, the daughter of an Evangelical Christian, to convert to Islam. He engaged in "work experience" with a local council, which he is said to have enjoyed, although the pay was poor.
His wife, formerly known as Samantha Lewthwaite (who took the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
name of Sherafiyah) denied Lindsay's involvement until authorities produced forensic evidence to confirm his identity. She later went on record stating she abhorred the attacks and that her husband's mind had been poisoned by radicals. Lindsay was reportedly close to Abdullah el-Faisal
Abdullah el-Faisal
Abdullah el-Faisal is a muslim cleric who preached in the United Kingdom until he was convicted of stirring up racial hatred and urging his followers to murder Jews, Hindus, Christians, and...
, a controversial imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
convicted of attempting to incite sectarian murders in 2003.
Involvement in London bombings
Lindsay detonated his bomb, killing 26 people, on a train traveling between King's Cross St. Pancras and Russell SquareRussell Square tube station
Russell Square is a London Underground station on Bernard Street, Bloomsbury in the London Borough of Camden. It is a small but busy station, often used by office workers and by tourists who are staying in Bloomsbury's numerous hotels. The station is a Grade II listed building.-History:The station...
stations A raid by Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
found no explosives at Lindsay's flat. Lindsay is believed to have hired one of the cars left at Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
railway station on 7 July before the bombers made their rail journey to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Abdul Dayan, the imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
of the Jamia Ghausia mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in Aylesbury, said that Lindsay did not attend, and did not mix with the largely Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i Muslim community.
22 July 2005
On 22 July police and fire services were called to Lindsay's home in Aylesbury after neighbours reported a strong smell of petrol coming from it. It was suspected to be an arsonArson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
attack on the empty property. Since then it was revealed in the local press that his wife and son are living under police protection and would not be returning home. In December 2005, two 17-year-olds were charged with attempted arson for the attack.
Further reading
- "Blue Watch relive the bomb hell inside carriage 346A" by Mark Townsend, The Observer, 9 October 2005
- Profile of Germaine Lindsay
External links
- Profile of Radical Jamaican-born Cleric Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal al-Jamaikee published by the Jamestown Foundation in Washington, DC
- List of notable converts to Islam
- " Fourth bomber's name disclosed" (Accessed 15 July 2005) BBC News
- "Market town may hold clues to fourth suspect" (Accessed 15 July 2005) Financial Times
- Russell Square explosion