THE INQUESTS INTO the deaths of 52 people who were killed in the London bombings of July 7, 2005, are due to get underway this week, and could last for up to five months.

Three underground trains and a bus were blown up by Al Qaeda suicide bombers during the morning rush hour, injuring 700 people – many of them severely and permanently.

The hearings have been delayed because of criminal investigations, and questions over the scope of the inquests, the BBC reports.

The inquests, which will look in detail at the attacks, are expected to open with never-before-seen footage and images from the scenes, which have been heavily edited to avoid showing victims.

Lady Justice Hallett, the coroner, is also to examine the backgrounds of the bombers and establish what was known about them by security services.

In the immediate aftermath of the bombings, officials stated that the four bombers – Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain, and Germaine Lindsay – were unknown to authorities.

But in the years since the attacks, it was revealed that two had been on the radar of the security services, but were not deemed significant threats.

There have been two official reports into the bombings by the Intelligence and Security Committee in Parliament, both of which said that MI5 should not be blamed.

But not all the families are satisfied that the security services did enough. The BBC adds that families still have many questions they want answered:

Solicitor Clifford Tibber, representing six families at the inquest, says there will be many issues to consider. They include: “What was the response like? Was it fast enough? Could it have been better? What lessons have been learned and what improvements have been made?”