The Angels And Agents Of Tavistock Square
 http://www.the4thbomb.com/

That morning many good human values immediately came to the fore, amidst evil in one of its purest forms.
I’d hurriedly left the death strewn by the blast in my wake but was befuddled by what I saw ahead of me.
I stopped, turned round and was even more dumbfounded by what I saw.
Strangely I found myself drawn back to the scene of the crime and meandering between the angels and agents in Tavistock Square headed back towards the bus.

The angels I refer to were the healthcare professionals and staff that were quickly on hand in such shocking circumstances, trying to do whatever they could despite initially being aghast at the dead pieces of human flesh and bodies littering the square.
The agents on the other hand were conspicuous by the way they diligently adhered to their assigned tasks, proceeding busily, workman like almost as if they’d already displayed their grief and horror prior to the explosion.
Apart from the obvious foot soldiers, (the blokes in blue) there were one or two more covert ones that stuck in my mind for differing reasons.
Their cover was blown, not because of what they did, but because of what they didn’t do.
Faced with such an unprecedented and horrendous event most reactions would come down to fight or flight.
After my own flight and initial rage at all things and persons Transport For London (Bus drivers in particular), I turned to comfort a shocked victim showered with blood who had been walking alongside the bus at the time of the explosion. Those few who did neither were notable.
They stood back, observing the events and activities in its entirety, positioned in the same spot.

The man with the hat was one such individual but his case is particularly intriguing when compared to the plain intelligence officers and foot soldiers I referred to.
I was going to make a point of highlighting him in my forthcoming novel: The 4th Bomb, but editorial considerations meant his 15 minutes is surplus to requirement.
My editor felt that whilst interesting the section on him ‘acted as a diversion’ to the storyline.
The irony is, a part of me thinks that is what he was doing there that morning.

I present compelling evidence that the smartly dressed man in grey was fully aware of what was about to take place and was prepared to be part of the aftermath but got caught out because the bus blew up just a couple of meters into Tavistock Square while he was positioned 60 meters away further down from the blast.
Images show the main force of the blast went backwards and one victim, a woman died because she crossed the road from the square behind the bus at the time of the explosion.
So how can anyone 60 meters ahead of the bus to be hurled aside or sustain any kind of physical injuries.
I knew his injuries were improvised, immediately putting 2 and 2 together when I saw his hat lying on the ground next to him.
He wore a large bandage around his head and had a tear along one trouser leg that went neatly along the seam.
The bandage 60 seconds after the blast.
This was way too fast, long before any medical assistance had arrived.

The blood on my own shirt is derived from a woman who was showered with the victim’s blood.
She had been walking beside the bus at the time.
The grey suited man had no blood on him at whatsoever indicating he was far from the bus.
Even the African traffic warden on the opposite side of the road who the driver called out to said he had a piece of human flesh on his arm.
We may never know his true purpose that day.
But what it does do is single him out as someone who had prior knowledge.
Who knew in advance? Only the perpetrators?