The memorial service marked the incident 30 years on
London Deputy Lord Mayor Joanne McCarthy addressed the service on Monday
The loved ones and survivors of those lost to the London Docklands bombing gathered to mark the 30th anniversary of the attack during a memorial service.
The IRA orchestrated attack saw 3,000lb worth of semtex detonated in a vehicle outside the Bashir family newsagents business in Canary Wharf on this day in 1996.
Two people subsequently lost their lives from the Libyan-made explosives blast which also left over 100 injured.
Among those dead was Inam Bashir (29) and John Jeffries (31) who were both killed in the newsagents.
The memorial service was held at noon at South Quay railway station, less than a 100m from where the attack took place.
Jonathan Ganesh, Docklands Victims’ Association president, said the incident was a “horrific act of violence.”
London Deputy Lord Mayor Joanne McCarthy addressed the service on Monday
Mr Ganesh said: “Many of you will remember Inam and John as the friendly faces behind the newspaper kiosk beside South Quay Station.
“They were well known, well liked, and truly loved within this community. They were ordinary men living ordinary lives — taken from us in an extraordinary and horrific act of violence.
“I believe they would be deeply moved to see us gathered here today. As I look around, I see people of every colour, every faith, and every political belief standing side by side. Our presence sends a powerful message: we condemn terrorism in all its forms, wherever it occurs.
The memorial service marked the incident 30 years on
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“In times like these, we are reminded that more than pain, we need humanity. More than terror, we need love. More than hatred, we need compassion and understanding. Without these qualities, life would be unbearable.”
The terror attack led to the end of the seventeen-month ceasefire agreed in August 1994 on the condition Sinn Féin could participate in peace negotiations.
A few months after the bombing, the IRA claimed responsibility for the Manchester bombing in 1996.