With the police linking the three attacks upon London’s Black, Bangladeshi, and LGBTQ+ communities, attention turned to right-wing extremist groups operating in the city, with special attention being paid to the identity of a shaven-headed man who was photographed by security cameras at the site of the first blast minutes before detonation, according to the BBC. Appeals about the man were first made after the second bombing, which, it turned out, compelled him to bring the timing of the third attack forward by some days. The man was 22-year-old David Copeland, who was indeed identified by a colleague and reported to the police, who discovered Nazi flags and numerous newspaper cuttings related to his attacks on the people of London at his address. In custody, Copeland, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, told investigators that his attacks on ethnic communities were attempts to precipitate a “racial war” in the capital (per The Guardian). Meanwhile, High Court Judge Nigel Sweeney said the bomber’s attack on the Admiral Duncan pub was motivated by his “personal” homophobia.
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As reported by The Independent, Copeland’s trial was attended by many of the victims of his attacks, who witnessed Judge Michael Hyam describe his actions as motivated by “virulent hatred and pitiless contempt.” He was given six consecutive life sentences for three counts of murder and three counts of “causing explosions in order to endanger life” on June 30, 2000, meaning he would serve a minimum of 30 years in prison (via The Guardian).
